Homemade Waffles=Happy Husband

Let me tell you something about my husband.  He loves waffles.  I don't mean he likes waffles.  He loves them.  When we were dating, we went through a period where we went to the Waffle House on Shallowford Road every Saturday.  He orders the same thing every time: waffle, 2 eggs (over light), bacon, and grits with coffee.  One Christmas, my mom bought him a waffle iron/sandwich maker that we faithfully used until I found a great deal on a Belgian waffle iron at Bed, Bath, and Beyond a few months back.  Sunday night, we visited a local restaurant (which shall remain unnamed) that serves waffles with a group of friends from church, and Philip's waffle was pretty deformed (although he said it tasted good).  A friend took a picture, and I knew I had to do a waffle post.  This recipe is from Alton Brown's book, Good Eats: The Middle Years, but you can also find it here.

[caption id="attachment_724" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kyle's a photographer. He's the only person I know who could make a picture taken with his iPhone look this good...."][/caption]

So, for my waffles....start with 9 1/2 ounces of flour.  I used 3 oz. of all-purpose flour and 6 1/2 oz. of white whole wheat (I am trying to make a change over to using almost 100% whole wheat.  Add one teaspoon of baking powder, one teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, and three tablespoons of sugar (I use evaporated cane juice).

[caption id="attachment_707" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="All-purpose flour....just a little bit!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_708" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="White-whole wheat flour is the best. I use it for almost everything now. The texture is so much lighter than regular whole wheat, but it's just as nutritious!"][/caption]

Melt three tablespoons of butter and pour it into a larger container.  Add three eggs and whisk them together, then whisk in two cups (yes, two cups) of buttermilk.  The recipe that I was using said to use room-temperature buttermilk, but mine was right out of the fridge, and it was fine.

[caption id="attachment_710" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Melted butter..."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_711" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Eggs from the Farmers Market-I think they're so much prettier than grocery store eggs!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_712" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="After the whisking"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_713" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Pour the buttermilk and whisk again"][/caption]

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and whisk again.  The recipe says to let the batter rest for five minutes, but I always lid up and let it rest in the fridge overnight.

[caption id="attachment_714" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Pouring the buttermilk mixture into the flour."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_715" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="This makes a pretty thick batter."][/caption]

I always get the batter out in the morning and let it sit on the counter for about 15 minutes.  You will, of course, want to follow the directions for your waffle iron, but here's how mine works: preheat the iron; spray lightly with cooking spray; spread the batter into the iron; close the lid, and let it go till it beeps!

[caption id="attachment_716" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="I got a great deal on this Villa Ware waffle iron!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_717" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Spray lightly with cooking spray."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_718" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ladle in the batter...."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_719" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Before....."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_720" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="...and after!"][/caption]

I always preheat my oven to 200 degrees and keep the waffles warm on a cookie sheet until we are ready to eat.  I always serve waffles and pancakes with pure maple syrup, and I encourage you to do the same.  Note: Mrs. Butterworth's is not pure maple syrup!  Yes, it's more expensive, but trust me, it's worth it.  We buy ours in "bulk" at Earth Fare, and the price is better than buying a bottle at the grocery store.

[caption id="attachment_724" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Which one's prettier: this one...."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_721" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="...or this one?"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_722" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Pure maple syrup is the only way to go!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_723" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="And this is the hand of a happy husband, pouring syrup on his waffle!"][/caption]

By the way, waffles (and pancakes!) freeze great.  Just wrap them in wax paper then put them in a freezer bag.  When you are ready to eat them, you can put them in the toaster, if they'll fit, or heat in a 350 over until heated through!