Breakfast for dinner, episode II

We managed to go straight from wisdom tooth extraction to virulent illness, which laid Dylan low first and now Cassie, who's been out of school all week. With Cassie out of commission, Mom requested waffles for dinner, since she loves waffles, but Cassie won't eat them.

We always make waffles gluten free for Mom's benefit, and they work as well or better than just about any other waffles I've tried anyway. Cook's Illustrated had an older recipe using wheat flour that was a lot like this one, except with two ounces less flour and only two eggs. But the eggs were separated, with the whites whipped and folded in, so this is not only a much easier recipe, but I think it works and tastes better anyway. Cook's Illustrated later switched to a new recipe that substituted buttermilk powder and seltzer water for the buttermilk, which is "absolutely crap" and Exhibit A for my argument that they've jumped the shark when trying to rework their old recipes with ever odder methods. If you want to make waffles using regular wheat flour, try Aretha Frankenstein's Waffles of Insane Greatness or, if you plan ahead, Marion Cunningham's Raised Waffles, which are made with a yeasted batter that sits out overnight before you bake the waffles in the morning.

Waffle with blueberry compote

Gluten-Free Buttermilk Waffles 1.5

Adapted from The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook (2014)

Time: 9 minutes to make the batter, ~20 minutes to cook all the waffles

If you don’t have buttermilk or kefir on hand, you can substitute 210 grams (⅞ cup) plain yogurt mixed with 210 grams (⅞ cup) water.

3 large eggs

420 grams (1¾ cups) buttermilk or plain unsweetened kefir (see note)

2 tablespoons (25 grams) granulated white sugar

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

340 grams (~2¾ cups) gluten-free flour blend

57 grams (4 tablespoons/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled some

    1. Spray your waffle iron with nonstick spray, then plug it in and heat it according to the manufacturer's instructions. We have a Cuisinart (the WMR-CA Round Classic Waffle Maker), which recommends heat setting #3 for golden brown waffles. I like crisper, darker waffles, so I turn the browning control to halfway between #3 and 4.
    2. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk to break them up. Whisk in the buttermilk or kefir. Whisk in the sugar and salt. Sprinkle the baking soda over the surface, then whisk it in. Whisk in the flour. Add the melted butter and whisk thoroughly until the batter is thick and completely smooth, about 1 minute.
    3. Cook the waffles according to the manufacturer's instructions. For our Cuisinart, I use ~⅔ cup of batter for each waffle, poured onto the center of the lower grid. Serve each waffle immediately with real maple syrup (unless you’re Mom, who’s an Aunt Jemima gal) and fresh fruit or fruit compote or microwave blueberry sauce, if you like. Waffles are definitely best when made to order (they get soggy fast), but cooked waffles may be kept warm in a pinch for up to 5 minutes on a wire rack set inside a baking sheet in a 200°F oven. Makes about seven 7-inch traditional-style waffles.