Posts in Category: Waffle
Yogurt Waffles
I love making soda breads with yogurt. It is acidic so you can add baking soda as well as baking powder as a leavening agent. One day I went to the grocery store to buy a bottle of Kéfir. On accident I bought drinkable yogurt. What an interesting opportunity for waffles. This morning I made waffles with 2 pots of raspberry yogurt with the balance in orange juice. YUM
The trick in using yogurt is factoring in how stiff the yogurt is and how much sugar it has. Plain Greek yogurt has no added sugar but it is stiff. I thin it with some milk and add the usual amount of sugar. If using Drinkable Yogurt, drop sugar as the drink is sweetened and no need to thin.
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- Batter puffs up nicely
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- You can see it when you pour it
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- Yummy waffles
- 1 cup (125 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 TBSP (15 g) Granulated Sugar (omit for sweetened yogurt)
- 1 tsp (5 g) Baking Powder
- ½ tsp (4 g) Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp (2 g) Sea Salt
- 1¼ cup (300 g) yogurt
- 1 (50 g) Egg
- 3 TBSP (45 g) Unsalted Butter, melted OR Sunflower Oil
- ½ tsp (3 g) Vanilla extract (optional)
- For waffle maker surface Non-stick Spray or vegetable oil
- 2 cups (250 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 2 TBSP (25 g) Granulated Sugar (omit for sweetened yogurt)
- 2 tsp (10 g) Baking Powder
- 1 tsp (7 g) Baking Soda
- ½ tsp (3 g) Sea Salt
- 2½ cups (600 g) Yogurt
- 2 (100 g) Eggs
- 6 TBSP (85 g) Unsalted Butter, melted OR Sunflower Oil
- 1 tsp (5 g) Vanilla extract (optional)
- For waffle maker surface Non-stick Spray or vegetable oil
- Heat waffle iron
- In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients
- In a medium sized bowl combine all wet ingredients and whisk.
- Thin yogurt with milk if stiff like Greek Yogurt (1 cup yogurt to ¼ cup milk)
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Using a separate bowl for wet mixture then adding to the dry mixture results in less clumps - Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk. Do NOT whisk again later. You will flatten the batter.
- Use non-stick spray or brush some oil on waffle iron plates
- For an 8” round iron, pour 1 cup of batter in centre. The amount depends on your waffle maker size. The instructions will usually say how much to use.
- Bake for about 5 min. Time and temp effect how a waffle bakes. Higher temp uses lower time. The shorter the time the bigger the difference between crust and inside softness. Do not open early to check as this will tear the waffle. If waffle too dark, lower temperature setting. Auto waffle makers will beep when waffle is done.
- Remove the waffle by gently loosening the edges with a heat-proof plastic spatula, wooden spatula or non-stick coated tongs.
- Serve immediately or place in a 200F (90C) oven to keep them warm.
Drinkable yogurt is thin but has added sugar so I omit the sugar in the recipe.
Kéfir Frozen Waffles
When my wife and I get up in the morning, we love a quick breakfast. Toasted bagels are a favourite. On weekends, I sometimes make waffles or pancakes. I saw a frozen waffle ad and thought that would be so convenient, but I am a waffle snob. Why not make and freeze my own waffles.
Kéfir (pronounced kə-FEER) is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt that is made from kéfir grains and milk. Kéfir is found in grocery stores near the yogurt. Kéfir adds an interesting flavour to the pancakes. My wife even likes them without syrup, just some butter. Kéfir does make a thicker batter, so you adjust with milk. I find adding 25% milk results in the batter stiffness I like. How much milk you use depends on how thick you like your waffles. Kéfir comes in a one litre bottle, so a quad recipe would use it all. I could then freeze them for a quick toasting later.
I always comment that my wife’s homemake stew and soup is better the next day. The flavours have time to develop. In the case of toasted waffles the outside gets crispy while the inside stays soft and yummy.
Tip: When making a large batch, place a waffle on a rack to cool then place in the freezer. Later collect up the frozen waffles and bag. As they are frozen already they will not stick together.
Update: I show the waffles being heated up in a toaster, BUT! I find toaster ovens and counter top ovens make lousy toast. The problem is the heating element is too far from the bread. With frozen waffles, a toaster crisps up the outside but so quickly that the inside is not hot. A toaster oven does a better job. Set the oven to 350°F/180°C, put the frozen waffles in, then turn the oven on. About 5ish minutes and they are crisp outside while the inside is hot.
I find a Belgian waffle maker is better if your goal is to freeze them. The waffles are studier.
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- Kéfir
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- Regular vs Belgian Waffle Makers
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- 6 cup triple batch
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- In freezer before bagging
- 1 cup (125 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 TBSP (15 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 tsp (5 g) Baking Powder
- ½ tsp (4 g) Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp (2 g) Sea Salt
- 1 cup (240 g) Kéfir
- 0 to ¼ cup (60 g) Milk (optional)
- 1 (50 g) Egg
- 3 TBSP (45 g) Unsalted Butter, melted OR Sunflower Oil
- ½ tsp (3 g) Vanilla extract (optional)
- For waffle maker surface Non-stick Spray or vegetable oil
- 2 cups (250 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 2 TBSP (25 g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp (10 g) Baking Powder
- 1 tsp (7 g) Baking Soda
- ½ tsp (3 g) Sea Salt
- 2 cups (480 g) Kéfir
- 0 to ½ cup (120 g) Milk (optional)
- 2 (100 g) Eggs
- 6 TBSP (85 g) Unsalted Butter, melted OR Sunflower Oil
- 1 tsp (5 g) Vanilla extract (optional)
- For waffle maker surface Non-stick Spray or vegetable oil
- Heat waffle iron
- In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients
- In a medium sized bowl combine all wet ingredients and whisk. Milk can be added to thin the batter.
Using a separate bowl for wet mixture then adding to the dry mixture results in less clumps - Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk. Do NOT whisk again later. You will flatten the batter.
- Use non-stick spray or brush some oil on waffle iron plates
- For an 8” round iron, pour 1 cup of batter in centre. The amount depends on your waffle maker size. The instructions will usually say how much to use.
- Bake for about 5 min. Time and temp effect how a waffle bakes. Higher temp uses lower time. The shorter the time the bigger the difference between crust and inside softness. Do not open early to check as this will tear the waffle. If waffle too dark, lower temperature setting. Auto waffle makers will beep when waffle is done.
- Remove the waffle by gently loosening the edges with a heat-proof plastic spatula, wooden spatula or non-stick coated tongs.
- Serve immediately or place in a 200F (90C) oven to keep them warm.
- Place them on a rack until cool then place in the freezer.
- Once frozen, arrange then in a freezer bag or plastic container.
- Toast frozen waffle to serve. Place frozen waffles in a 350°F/180°C oven for 5 minutes. If you are going to heat with a toaster, let the waffles thaw first.
Batter Up – What is a Batter?
The older I get, the more I realize two things: time is precious, and homemade is superior to store bought. Reconciling the two can be a challenge.
I was thinking about my baking recently and realized my passion has moved from dough to batter. Baking with batter has several attractions for me. First, start-to-eat is often as short as 15 minutes. Second is portion control. As our kids are grown and on their own, all of my batter recipes have a 2-portion version and a 4-portion for families. The third attraction is that it requires only low-cost tools and machines. Basics include bowls, a scale, measuring spoons, whisk, measuring cup, spatulas, waffle maker and a griddle.
Be Sure to Flip Your Waffles (Tip)
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- Hamilton Beach 26010C Flip Maker
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- Cuisinart Belgian Waffle Maker waf-200
Tomato Biscotti Waffle – Savoury not Sweet
I love my soft fluffy waffles, but I wanted to create savoury crisp waffles – something that you could pile toppings on, lift and eat without the toppings falling off. Reading recipes for other bread/cake products gave me ideas. Biscotti is an Italian biscuit that is baked, cut into slices, then baked again. The Italian word ‘biscotti’ translates to ‘twice-baked.’
When my waffles come off of the iron, they are slightly crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside. I thought, suppose you put them in an oven and bake until they are dry throughout? The oven temperature needs to be hot enough to dry, but not so hot as to bake them. I found 325°F/160°C/Gas 3 for about 20 minutes dries the waffles out without baking them more. The result is a light, crispy wafer.
Oat Gluten-Free Lemon Milk Waffles
One of the most challenging recipes for me was developing a gluten free waffle. My experiences with using gluten-free flours has not been very rewarding. I decided to look for an oat flour recipe. To start I took my Lemon Milk Waffle recipe and substituted oat flour for the wheat flour. The results were very tasty but fell apart. See there is no gluten in oat flour so there is no “glue” to hold it together.
Then I learned about Xanthan Gum. Xanthan gum is a thickening agent made from fermented sugars and commonly used in gluten-free recipes. Most gluten-free flours come with xanthan gum already mixed in. Xanthan gum has to be used sparingly or you end up with a batter like stiff jello. (I know from personal experience of my first batch. 🙂 )
Lemon Milk Waffles
Lemon Milk Waffles are by far my favourite waffle. They originated as a way to make buttermilk waffles without buttermilk. A common substitute for buttermilk is milk mixed with an acid such as lemon or lime juice or vinegar. Lime juice instead of lemon works well but leaves no taste. Lemon leaves a hint in the waffles that compliments a sweet waffle. I was also intrigued by a King Arthur Flour tip on taming whole wheat.
If you or your family are very sensitive to whole wheat’s sometimes assertive flavour, try substituting 2 tablespoons orange juice for 2 tablespoons of the milk in this recipe. The OJ tames whole wheat’s potentially tannic taste, without adding any citrus flavour of its own.
www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/whole-wheat-waffles-recipe
Almost all of my recipes build on this Lemon Milk recipe. It is my waffle foundation recipe.
Guide to Waffle Makers (Reference)
Types of Waffle Makers
- Iron – Two cast iron plates in a scissor like format with 2 handles. The batter is poured between the two plates, closed and heated over a fire. This is the old fashion way to make waffles and useful when camping.
- Traditional – Waffles are 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) thick and usually round.
- Belgian – Waffles are one inch (2.5 cm) thick. The greater depth is popular. This is the most common waffle maker. All three in the picture above are Belgian waffle makers.
- Waffle Cones – This waffles for making waffle ice cream cones. They are thin and pliable when first removed. The waffle is then formed into a cone or bowl and left to cool and harden.
Simple Milk Waffle
I live on a working maple syrup farm so waffles are a staple with us. I get asked “why waffles?” Well, they are a type of bread. Like bread they fall into two camps based on the type of leaven, i.e. what makes them rise: yeast or soda. Waffles are similar to soda breads in that they use soft flour and baking soda/powder. Belgian waffles are historically made with soft flour and yeast. Hard flour, common in bread, is never used. You want a more cake like consistency. For me, all of the bread chemistry applies to waffles so I feel right at home.
I love simple recipes, building blocks for a foundation of baking. These are the basics that have the core ingredients and steps. Learn the foundations, then build upon them. This recipe is the most basic scratch waffle. All you need are medium and large bowls, measuring spoons, measuring cups, a whisk and a waffle maker. From the start to your first baked waffle is under 20 minutes and a whole recipe is done in under an hour.