There are several criteria for a good waffle. It must be light and crisp, but also moist and almost creamy in the center. It needs to rise just enough, but not so much that the batter fails to cook through. My personal addition to this tall order, so to speak, is that I want my waffles to provide a substantial enough breakfast to keep me from feeling light-headed two hours later. This recipe covers all the bases: You'll get a perfectly textured dreamy-tasting waffle, containing just enough bran and protein powder to give it some character--and to slow down the carbohydrate load, so you won't crash mid-morning.
- You can keep the waffles warm by putting them directly on the rack of a preheated 200¼F oven for a little while, so a group of you can eating enjoy them together, instead of having to eat one at a time.
- You can substitute canola oil for up to half the butter.
- If you are making Belgian waffles, you'll need to use twice as much batter for each one as for standard-size waffles. So in Step 4, where it says "1/2 cup batter" per waffle, make that approximately a cup of batter for a Belgian waffle.
3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup soy protein powder
1/4 cup unprocessed wheat bran
1/4 teaspoon salt (rounded measure)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 cup buttermilk
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Nonstick spary and/or butter or the waffle iron
Optional Toppings
Soft butter
Pure maple syrup
Yogurt
Powdered sugar
Fresh fruit
- Preheat the waffle iron.
- Place the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir to thoroughly combine.
- Measure the buttermilk and then the water into a 4-cup capacity liquid measuring cup. Add the eggs and beat well with a fork or a small whisk. Pour this mixture, plus the melted butter, into the dry ingredients. Stir until thoroughly blended, scraping from the bottom and sides of the bowl. Don't overmix.
- Lightly spray the hot waffle iron on both the top and bottom surfaces with nonstick spray. If you like, you can also rub on a little butter. (This is most easily accomplished by generously buttering a chunk of bread, and using the bread as a nifty, edible utensil to butter the waffle iron.) Add enough batter to just cover the cooking surface--approximately 1/2 cup per waffle.
- Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on your waffle iron. Don't overbake--you want it crisp and brown, but not too dark. It is perfectly okay to peek.
- Serve hot, topped with syrup and/or other goodies.