alton brown's waffles

This is my new favorite waffle recipe. Boy-o is a pancake and waffle fiend, so I like having these on hand in the freezer. If my freezer could bear the load, I'd double the recipe and stock up, which would answer the age-old question, "what do I do with leftover buttermilk?" One batch calls for 16 ounces of buttermilk, so doubling it would just take care of the whole quart.

I'll tell you why I like these. First, they taste good. They're light and not too sweet, so I can live with letting him put maple syrup on them. I'm pretty judicious with the syrup, but even so, we go through the good stuff faster than should be legal.

Second, compared to other recipes, they don't have that much butter in them (and I usually reduce it to 3 tablespoons). Butter usually is one of the key ingredients to a crisp waffle. I still have my cheapo waffle iron, but if I leave them to cook for an extra minute or so after the red light goes off, it crisps them up perfectly for eating then and there. When I reheat them for breakfast, they go straight from freezer to toaster, so there's no latent sogginess issue on that end.

Third, you don't have to separate the eggs and beat the whites until stiff. Time saver!

Fourth, they are actually made with half whole wheat flour, so they're a little healthier, and you can't taste the difference. My kid has actually rejected banana bread (which he loves) when made with white whole wheat flour, because he can taste the "beads." In these waffles, he's never even noticed, so I know I'm getting something a little healthier in him.

Did I mention that they taste really good? OK.

Alton Brown's Basic Waffles
4 3/4 ounces flour (Alton says this is approximately 1 cup, but that's a heavy cup)
4 3/4 ounces whole wheat flour (see above)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 ounces (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
16 ounces buttermilk (Alton says room temperature, but I've never bothered with this)
1 teaspoon vanilla (my addition)
nonstick spray for waffle iron

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and melted butter, and then add the buttermilk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until combined. Don't go crazy with the stirring. Let it rest for 5 minutes while you preheat the waffle iron. Ladle on the right amount of batter for your waffle iron, and let it cook until it's golden on both sides and can be removed easily from the iron. As mentioned above, I let mine sit just a little longer to get a little crispier.

Serve immediately, or keep them warm in a 200F-degree oven while you make more. To freeze the leftovers, cool them in a single layer on a cookie rack. Stack them, wrap tightly in freezer plastic wrap, and place in a ziploc bag. To serve, pop them straight in the toaster until reheated and crisp.

Comments

just got a waffle maker last night. must try this! thanks for the recipe!