Sunday Morning Waffles

Not too long ago we purchased a waffle iron for a beer and waffles gathering.  Since then the iron has been put to little use.  In an effort to change that I began plowing through blog post after blog post and recipe after recipe in attempts to find the perfect waffle recipe.  I delved into comments to glean little tips and modifications to others' recipes.

I think I've arrived at the nearly perfect waffle...at least for my taste.  Your preferences may vary.

These waffles are crisp on the outside and light as air on the inside.  They have just enough sugar and cinnamon to justify eating them without any fruit, syrups or other toppings, but they are just sweetly spiced enough to compliment instead of competing with any toppings that are added.  And most people should have all of the ingredients on hand on any given Sunday morning.

Enjoy!

adapted from all that the world wide web has to offer.

yields 8 waffles

The Ingredients:
2 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 Tbsp sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tsp baking powder

The Process:
Preheat oven to 250 and warm up the waffle iron.

In a medium bowl whisk together the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, oil, and sugar until well combined.  Adding the flour a little at a time, stir until smooth.  Add salt, cinnamon and baking powder.

In a separate mixing bowl with an electric beater, or by hand with a strong wrist action, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks.  Fold the whites gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.  Do not over mix!  The batter should retain as much air as possible from the whites.

Brush or mist the waffle iron lightly with oil and spoon batter into waffle iron, spreading quickly with a spatula to cover the entire griddle surface (amount varies depending on waffle iron, mine uses just over 1/2 a cup). Cook according to iron manufacturer’s instructions.

Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

The Review:
What I truly adored about this recipe, aside from the quintessential waffle texture and flavor, was how the recipe walked the line between the more intensive and ingredient-laden waffles, such as the pumpkin version I tried a few months back, and the simplistic milk, flour, baking powder, egg versions.  This recipe does take an extra step, but trust me...beating the egg whites separately and carefully folding them into the batter makes a world of difference.  This recipe works well without this step as well...just beat the whole egg into the batter from the beginning.  But a heavier waffle will result.  A wonderful waffle, yes, but not the crisp and airy creation the beaten egg whites offer.