Who doesn't love waffles, I ask you...Well, my 10-year-old doesn't. Crazy baby. I love waffles. Everyone else in my family loves waffles. And what's not to love...sweetened batter, grid-fried on a hot iron, buttered up and ladled with pure maple syrup, maybe tossed with a few fresh berries and a dollop of whipped cream. Now I'm hungry. Actually, I'm not, because I just finished eating my waffles!
It's kind of funny, really. Waffles are pretty much just pancakes fried up differently. But a heaping platter of waffles conjures up a different feeling somehow. Pancakes are hearty and loving, but waffles...waffles are a sure sign that someone adores you! With my giant griddle, I can pan-bake up to 16 pancakes at a time. Two rounds of batter and you're done. Plenty of pancakes for breakfast with some to spare for snacks and the next day's breakfast. But waffles take time. Once the batter is made, you have to stand at the iron, frying up just a pair at a time. It just feels special somehow, like visiting your favorite grandmother.
In fact, I have two waffle irons...the Belgian waffle maker I received as a wedding gift, and the old Westinghouse iron my grandmother used to make waffles for my cousins and me. I LOVE using that old iron, being reminded of how much Grandma loved us whilst I make waffles for my brood.
Today's batch was made on the wedding iron, however. In a large bowl, I dumped some tapioca flour, potato flour, corn meal, and some of Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Can't say exactly how much, because, well, you know...that's just how I roll! I added a wee bit of xanthan gum, some fine-ground sea salt, some raw sugar and baking powder. In a smaller bowl went four egg yolks, vanilla and olive oil. I dry-whisked the powdery stuff in lieu of sifting it, then whisked the wet ingredients together and added almond milk and water. I stirred the wet into the dry and let it sit a wee bit to make sure the corn meal had a chance to absorb enough moisture to not stay crunchy. Meanwhile, I whipped the egg whites up until they were nice and fluffy. While the waffle iron heated up, I brushed it with a little olive oil (I use enough olive oil every day to indicate that I should have been born Italian...what gives?) and folded the egg whites gently into the batter.
Several rounds of spooning batter and stacking waffles later, it was time to eat.
Honestly, what's better than this? Waffles I can eat (I cheated with the whipped cream, but don't tell anyone!), no one else missed the gluten or, indeed, would have known they were gluten-free if not for the clue that I was eating them. And the best part of all, is that I ate waffles on one of my grandmother's old plates. Gotta have a little Grandma with my waffles!
--Sheila
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