Nearly ever Sunday morning we have waffles.
This is a breakfast ritual that has been part of our menu plan for a long time. A couple of weeks ago the old waffle iron finally gave up. Well, it still made waffles, but not consistently.
While pancakes filled in for a bit, they never really offered a proper platform for seasonal fruit and syrups. This week we broke down and replaced the old Oster Flip Waffle Maker model F10W . . . truth is I never really liked that thing. It only did a mediocre job at making crisp brown waffles.
What took the Oster’s place was a Breville Smart Waffle Pro model BWM604.
This stainless steel enrobed beauty took us from turning out a round pale limp waffle (one at a time), to producing four golden brown squares of crispy delight.
It was a bit more spendy, but worth every extra dollar.
Interestingly enough, breakfast waffles are only the beginning. JQ uncovered a myriad of recipes utilizing a waffle iron as the baking instrument. The future has expanded from cozy Sunday breakfasts into other culinary arenas.
At this point I should confess my addiction to snack cakes. I’ve regularly consumed individually wrapped carbo-bombs from those hallmarks of healthy eating, Hostess, Little Debbie, and Tastee Kakes. JQ has made numerous attempts to offer something far less harmful, but was met with little success.
This waffle iron might present the perfect alternative to long shelf life snack cakes. Our first foray was a chocolate waffle built on a Greg Patton recipe. It’s crevices filled with chocolate buttercream. This checked all the snack cake boxes, with none of the chemical additives.
If you do even a cursory search of waffle iron cooking, it will become apparent that we’ve only scratched the surface.
Some of these waffle iron productions don’t even utilize batter.
We’ll keep you informed of the hits, as well as misses. We’re pretty sure Hostess is history.
Buttermilk Waffles (and Pancake)
Ingredients
- 1 cup sifted flour 150 grams
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat waffle iron.
- In a 4 cup glass measure whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a 1 cup glass measure, whisk egg into buttermilk and then drizzle in the melted butter.
- Add wet to dry and combine. Use a wooden spoon or spatula, but don't overmix as the waffles will be flat and tough.
- Cook according to your iron's instruction - for pancakes drop ¼ cup measures on a lightly greased griddle.
While my bread making has been inconsistent the last few months, there is an active sourdough culture in our fridge. That means this starter is fed every two to three weeks. It is pulled from the fridge, a portion is removed, and equal amounts of flour and water are added. Then it is allowed to start working before it’s return to the fridge.
The process of feeding a sourdough starter means there is some amount of perfectly good leavening agent that gets washed down the drain, if it’s not used for baking. When there’s no bread to bake, we make waffles. The recipe will work for pancakes if you are so inclined. “A waffle is just a more considerate pancake. It’s like, here, let me hold that syrup for you in these convenient boxes.”
If you are interested in sourdough, there are ways to start from scratch, but it is way easier to either find a baker and ask … they are usually looking for someone to take the cast off. But be ready to feed the beast regularly. That might be motivation to make a loaf of bread, or at least the more considerate breakfast food.