MmmmMmmm WAFFLES

I have always loved waffles, especially the ones at brunches (Mr P's) and in hotel breakfast buffets. Lately, I've been seeing waffles every were, in commercials, in blogs, on cooking shows and in Bed Bath and Beyond and Williams-Sonoma. Unable to take it any longer, I ordered a waffle maker from Amazon.com and decided to use a recipe recommended by Dan of Have a Nice Day Dan (one of my favorite blogs and one I've been reading for over 5 years). Boy was he right! They are delicious and easy! Just like I like my men.

The number of servings any waffle recipe makes is dependent on the waffle maker. I was shocked that I only got 2 waffles but realized that they are huge, not just in circumference but in height! I also like my waffles less crispy so I removed them just before the steam stops.

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, or spelt flour for a nuttier taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg

1) Mix flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

2) Crack egg into separate mixing bowl.  Slightly beat, then drizzle in melted butter while beating, until mixed. Then add buttermilk.

3) Pour liquid mixture into dry, and fold in using a spatula (lightly sprayed with cooking spray, so batter doesn't stick).  Gently mix until moist, but still retaining some lumps of dry batter. This won't take longer than a minute or two.  The less you mix, the better.

4) Let stand about 5 minutes.

5) Plug in waffle iron while batter stands.  Turn up the heat, hotter is better.  Grease with butter flavored spray.

6) Batter should have slightly puffed up and thickened.  Batter should NOT be runny; that's pancake batter.  Ladle waffle mix onto griddle, leaving space at the edges.  No need to over-ladle in mix, and spill excess batter.

7) Leave iron closed for several minutes.  The myth is that once the waffle iron ceases steaming, it's finished, but I find that it needs an extra few minutes to properly crisp.

8) What did I just say about opening the waffle iron? Don't touch it.  I know you want to peek in and look.  But once you open the waffle iron, it's time to take it out, no more proper cooking will happen.  If you want to cook it more, put it in your toaster.

Optional: you can add extra ingredients to the batter, i.e. powdered hot chocolate mix. Compensate for the reduced rise in the batter: separate the egg whites and beat until soft peaks (NOT stiff peaks, this is not a meringue), and then fold into batter when you add wet ingredients, to give a little extra rise to the waffle.

Bon Appetit!
Next up is Bo's Bowl pumpkin waffles!