POLENTA WAFFLES WITH BERRIES


Preparation time: 10 minutes
Yield: 8 standard-size waffles
You will love these delicious waffles! I use polenta instead of regular cornmeal, because the coarse grind gives the waffles a very nice, slightly crunchy texture.

You can use any kind of berry, and frozen ones work beautifully, so you can have these any time of year. I like to use a mixture of different types. You can buy an unsweetened frozen berry mix in most supermarkets. Don't defrost before using, but do cut larger berries into smaller pieces.

An extra benefit of making these waffles: The berries emit an amazing aroma when they hit the hot waffle iron. It will make you swoon! Are you ready?

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)
1/4 teaspoon salt (rounded measure)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk (plain soy milk will also work)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups berries (any kind „or a mixture. Cut the larger ones--strawberries, blackberries--into smaller pieces.)
Nonstick spray
Pure maple syrup, yogurt, and/or powdered sugar for the top

  1. Place the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and stir to thoroughly combine.
  2. Preheat a standard waffle iron.
  3. Break the eggs into a second medium-sized bowl, and beat with a whisk until frothy. Drizzle in the milk
  4. Add the egg-milk mixture to the dry ingredients, along with the melted butter and the berries. Mix with decisive strokes from the bottom of the bowl until all the dry ingredients have been moistened. Try not to overmix, and also try to avoid breaking the berries.
  5. Spray the hot waffle iron with nonstick spray on both the top and bottom grids. Add about 1/3 cup batter, and cook as you normally would. (It usually takes about 2 to 3 minutes per waffle, but this depends on the individual waffle iron.)
  6. Eat while still hot--or store in the freezer and "toast & eat" another time, if it is humanly possible to resist devouring these immediately. You can also keep the waffles warm by putting them directly on the rack of a preheated 200°F oven for a little while, so a group of you can eating enjoy them together, instead of having to eat one at a time.