Sunday Morning Waffles

Well, this morning’s post took a wee bit more doing than usual.

I woke up feeling chipper and decided to make waffles. So I plugged in the old waffle iron, whipped up a batch of batter and was all set to get cooking, when I realized that – oh darn, the waffle iron light’s not on. Oh, must not be ready yet, I’ll just wait. [Time passes] Check again. Okay, it’s sort of warm. I’ll just wait a little bit longer. [More time passes] Check again – granted it’s been like 30 minutes, normally the thing’s ready in 5. Still no where near hot – and definitely not able to cook a waffle, let alone my hand – which was on the griddle. It was phffft. Sooooo.. I got on the horn and called about 7 of my friends and neighbors to see if anyone else had a functioning waffle iron. Not surprisingly, half of them didn’t answer the phone and the other half didn’t have one. Seems most normal people get these things as gifts (presumably when you get married or something) then re-gift them or sell them off quickly at yard sales. So, what to do? Well of course my ever-helpful, at-the-ready husband snapped to attention and flew out the door to fetch momma a new one. Although I’d love to say it was out of pure concern for my mental well being, I do suspect his mad dash to the store might have been an excuse to get away from the kids, who at that moment were howling their disappointment at delayed waffles and running around like 2 psychotic monkeys…. Fortunately, for all our sakes, he was back in a jiff with a fabulous Black and Decker model, which – unlike that bad old one – is shiny, round and WORKS. Woohoo!

Please don’t let this discourage you from leggoing those eggos, because homemade waffles so far surpass their frozen counterparts there’s no reason not to make them – at least occasionally. Plus they freeze beautifully, so you can make them in bulk, store them in ziplocks in the freezer, then pop em in the toaster for quick weekday breakfasts.

Serves 6.

SODIUM CONTENT: 46 mg per waffle

INGREDIENTS

1 2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon sodium-free baking powder
2 egg whites
1 1/3 cup low-fat milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons canola oil

DIRECTIONS

Spray the waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat (making sure it actually works). Measure the flour, sugar, and baking powder into a mixing bowl and whisk well to combine. Add the milk, vanilla, and canola oil to the dry ingredients and mix well. Let rest for 1-2 minutes to thicken.

While the batter is thickening, place the egg whites into another mixing bowl and beat until they form stiff peaks. Once beaten, gently fold the whites into the batter.

Ladle batter onto the hot surface of the waffle iron, carefully avoiding the very edges. Do not overfill. The batter will spread once the appliance is closed. Close the waffle iron and bake until waffles are golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.

Remove the baked waffles from the waffle iron and repeat the process with the remaining batter, re-oiling the waffle iron as necessary. Serve immediately. Leftovers freeze well.