Our Saturday morning tradition is a big breakfast. Don't have time to cook breakfast? Make a breakfast for supper night a weekly tradition in your house.
Today I tried a new waffle recipe I found on foodnetwork's website. In addition to half whole wheat, half white flour it includes rolled oats and wheat germ. With the cinnamon, sugar and vanilla you can't taste the whole grain goodness at all, this is my waffle recipe from now on.
After our trip to Norway in 2005, we got hooked on waffles the Scandinavian way, with strawberry jelly and sour cream instead of butter and syrup. But the Norwegian "waffler" mix was so much better than what we had access to here in the states. I've probably tried a dozen waffle recipes, and this recipe is very close. Plus, it has the extra benefit of being half whole grain.
Anyone ever watched Alton Brown's Good Eats on the food network? If you've ever caught his waffle or pancake episode, you know that the trick to fluffy griddle items is RESISTing the urge to make all the lumps disappear from the batter. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in another. Put the wet on top of the dry and mix only until the dry ingredients are wet. There will still be LOTS of lumps. Walk away from the bowl. They will cook out. I promise. Also good to let the batter stand for 5 minutes after stirring before cooking. According to Alton the key to a good waffle recipe is sugar and fat, so you won't get the same crispy waffle if you're using a baking mix.
Time Saver Tip Too tired to make batter from scratch on a lazy weekened morning? Mix the dry ingredients together the night before and leave them in the fridge. Add the wet ingredients in the morning, let rest 5 minutes and you're ready to go.
If you're feeling adventurous, try a dollop each of sour cream and jelly a la Norway.
Nutrition: see Oatmeal post for info on beta-glucan which is a super fiber in oats. Wheat germ is very high in folic acid (reduces risk of bone fracture, fetal deformities, heart disease and dementia), and it has 8g of protein in one oz. You are getting wheat germ in whole wheat flour, but when you add extra, it gives the white flour component of your recipe some of it's punch back. Buy small amounts of wheat germ and keep it in the fridge or freezer. It has a short shelf life.
You can substitute wheat germ in any recipe (don't use more than 1/8 cup for a dessert).
My substitutions: I have used regular milk with a bit of lemon juice to curdle the milk, since when I don't have buttermilk on hand. I have used organic "white" sugar instead of brown sugar, when I'm out of brown, and depending on my mood, I often use 1/4 ground flaxseed meal vs. wheat germ.
Kid Appeal Tip Freeze left-overs in a ziplock bag and you'll have a quick whole grain option ready for the toaster on a school morning. Whole grains contain protein. Let kids know these waffles will grow their brains and muscles and watch them disappear.
Ingredients (recipe courtesy of eatingwell.com)
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
- 2/3 cup whole-wheat flour
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ or cornmeal
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Directions
Mix buttermilk and oats in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes.
Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, wheat germ (or cornmeal), baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Stir eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla into the oat mixture. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.
Thank you for sharing , I will try this recipe. Jaew
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it's been over a month since I made these delish waffles, hopping on to get the recipe for big saturday breakfast.
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