Sunday Morning Waffles

Breakfast Waffles--perfectly golden and crisp,
and ready for melted butter and warm maple syrup.

Waffles are a Sunday brunch staple in our house. The is my my mother-in-law's recipe. At 87 years-old, she still cooks up a great family breakfast when we're in town. Betty has had the same waffle iron for 40+ years with no apparent issues. I, however, had to sample numerous brands over the years in search of ONE that was truly non-stick and produced crisp, golden waffles.

My vintage recipe is typed on a 2x3 index card.
Notice the typos

A few cheap versions have ended up in the garbage can, accompanied by curse words and homemade waffle batter, forever glued inside. A favorite now accompanies us on family beach vacations, but resides in my niece's Virginia kitchen. The two that remain are prized kitchen possessions. The TEXAS Vitantonio Premier waffler, which sadly, is no longer made, produces small Texas shaped waffles with a star to mark Austin. The KitchenAid Pro Line Double Waffle Maker, a Christmas gift from the family, kicks out two huge, deep, golden waffles in 2 1/2 minutes! It's handy to have around on weekends when out-of-town guests are standing in line with plates in hand.

Texans must have bought up all of these unique waffle irons.

KitchenAid Pro Line double waffler works like a dream--love the timer.

Over the years, with each new iron and the hope of it being truly "non-stick", I carefully followed the manufacturer's directions and "seasoned" the Teflon coating before using. Betty (MIL) says she never greased her iron past the first waffle; but after so many years, it does have the advantage of being properly aged like a good cast iron skillet. If I had not been there fore so many waffle breakfasts, I would dispute her claim. After scraping numerous waffles off the top and bottom insides of several irons, I gave up and decided that a light coating of cooking spray couldn't hurt and would probably only help keep my morning blood pressure down and family and guests happier. (Sorry-no photos of stuck waffle batter!)

With that waffle making dilemma resolved, the next error I made in my learning curve was to overfill the hot iron--ending up with billowing batter flowing out the sides of the iron onto the counter and floor. Quite a sight to see, and again, I only wish I had taken photos. Yet another nasty mess to clean up, and quite embarrassing. The best advice I can offer you on this dilemma is to thoroughly read your manual, then do a test run, using less batter than suggested on the first fill, then add as you go until you figure out the perfect amount to fill your iron. Do this before company and you will be a much happier waffle maker.

Just the right amount of batter.

I use my stand mixer bowl to beat the egg whites, and hand mixer to stir the wet ingredients together, but you can use a hand mixer for both if you want. Be sure to serve the waffles hot out of the iron with melted butter and warm Maple syrup. A recent guest chef on Martha Stewart suggested flipping the hot waffles back and forth between your hands (sorry no photos of that either) to release some of the steam and keep the waffles crispy. I do this, but I'm not sure it really does anything! Betty chuckles when she sees me doing it--I can't decide if I feel educated about waffle making or ridiculous. Guess the idea is that it takes the steam out of the waffle, so when you put it down on the plate it doesn't get soggy. Not really a problem in my house, since they are slathered with hot butter and maple syrup and eaten immediately.

Let guests choose fillings if you like or serve plain. Leftover waffles freeze well and the recipe can be doubled.....or tripled as needed!

Enjoy!


Betty's Best Waffles in the Whole Wide World
makes 8 large waffles

Printable Recipe
 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 egg whites, room temperature
3 egg yolks, room temperature
1 3/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup Canola oil
Canola oil cooking spray

Pre-heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions. 

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Beat egg yolks, milk and salad oil together for 1 minute--a large Pyrex measuring cup works well for this step. Pour into flour mixture and blend until smooth.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks forms. With a baking spatula, gently fold whites into batter, leaving a few puffs. Be careful not to deflate your batter by over-mixing.

Spray hot waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour batter into heated iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions until crisp and golden brown--usually about 2 1/2-3 minutes. Spray hot iron lightly, but thoroughly before each batch to ensure easy removal.

The Kitchen Aid Pro Line double waffler cooks 2 large waffle in just over two minutes.

Those deep pockets are ready for maple syrup and butter!

Serve immediately with melted butter and warm maple syrup. Add chocolate chips, fresh or frozen blueberries or strawberries, or chopped pecans and banana slices for variety. Freeze leftovers, wrapped well, for future breakfasts. Reheat in 300°F oven until warm and crisped. Do not microwave.

If you make ahead and need to keep waffles warm until guests arrive, place on a wire rack set on top of a baking sheet in a 200° oven. 

Enjoy!

Waffles Short and Sweet--Love the typing.