Since we are all on lockdown for the Coronavirus, hopefully I’ll have some more time to cook and write. I also threw my back out two days ago, so I guess we may as well try to make the best of it. We are actually supposed to be on a cruise ship as I type, but instead I am perched in our family room. So, what does one eat during the apocalypse? How about waffles?
Basic Waffle
Alton touts the waffle as one of his favorite things, explaining that waffles are essentially a fried food, as the batter is cooked between oiled plates. I had never really thought of waffles as fried, but that explains why I like them so much. I’ll nearly always choose waffles over pancakes. Alton’s basic waffles are made by whisking together in a medium bowl 4 3/4 oz flour, 4 3/4 oz whole wheat flour, 3 T sugar, 1 t Kosher salt, 1/2 t baking soda, and 1 t baking powder.
In a larger bowl, beat three eggs until smooth and whisk in 2 oz melted butter.
Next, whisk in 16 oz of buttermilk at room temperature.
Preheat your waffle iron and add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, folding everything together with a spatula until just combined; the batter will have some lumps, but that is okay.
Let the batter rest for five minutes. Spray the plates of your waffle iron with nonstick spray, which will aid in browning and release of the waffles. Pour about three ounces of batter in the iron and cook until golden and crispy.
Batter on hot oiled iron.
Alton’s basic waffle, served here with butter and boiled cider syrup.
You can keep the waffles warm by covering them with foil and placing them in a warm oven. For later use (such as when a pandemic hits), you can freeze the waffles and reheat them in a toaster. I am picky about waffles, as I really don’t care for them when they are at all soggy. I like my waffles to be extra crispy on the outside. This is a really good waffle recipe, resulting in waffles that are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I ate my waffles with butter and some homemade boiled apple cider syrup, while Ted enjoyed his with some maple syrup straight from his aunt’s maple trees.
Chocolate Waffle
If plain ol’ waffles are too boring for you, or you’re looking for more of a dessert waffle, Alton has you covered with his chocolate waffle recipe. As with the basic waffle recipe from above, you will need two mixing bowls for this recipe. In the first bowl, whisk together 7 oz flour, 1 3/4 oz sugar, 1 1/2 oz cocoa powder, 1 t salt, 1 t baking powder, and 1/2 t baking soda.
In the second bowl, whisk three eggs until they are smooth and add in 2 oz melted butter. Follow that with 16 oz of room temperature buttermilk and 1 t vanilla extract.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, folding with a spatula to barely combine.
Finally, fold in 4 oz of chocolate chips.
Chocolate chips to be folded in.
Add about 3 oz of batter to a standard waffle iron that has been preheated and sprayed with nonstick spray. Cook until crispy on the outside.
Waffle after cooking on a hot iron.
We first ate these waffles for breakfast with butter as a topping. We subsequently had the leftover waffles for dessert with vanilla ice cream.
Alton’s chocolate waffle, served with butter.
We were pretty surprised with how much we liked these waffles. Ted, in particular, does not really like anything sweet for breakfast, but he said he thoroughly enjoyed these. The waffles are actually not very sweet, as they contain quite a lot of cocoa powder, but you get little pockets of sweetness when you bite a chocolate chip. I personally liked these best served with ice cream, and I think kids would find these super fun for a special breakfast or dessert.
Allison Cooks Alton's Good Eats 