Best Buttermilk Waffles (Cook's Illustrated)

This morning, I thought about going to Denny's for breakfast.  Seems that always happens on Sunday mornings.  I get up, want coffee, and then start dreaming about breakfast food.

Then I thought about my pocketbook.  Would cost me $5 in gas to get there and back.  I don't have any other pressing business in Carbondale, so I couldn't justify it as a side trip.  Then I thought, why not make breakfast myself?  It's cheaper, I don't have to leave the house, and I if I have leftovers, I'll freeze them.

I have a ton of sausage (thanks Beckie!) since brother Don, who visited two weeks ago, didn't think he could get the sausage back before it thawed and spoiled.  Silly man. Since I'm not going to Chicago before next Christmas, I figured I'd eat this batch and give him a fresh roll to be made in November.

I settled on a menu of waffles and sausage. I pulled out my 1960s era waffle iron (you know, the one with the fabric cord that heats up on the outside like a pot of boiling oil), and plugged her in.  I put the coffee on, and got started.

Backstory on the recipe...I signed up for a free two-week trial subscription to Cook's Illustrated recipe service (again) and I thought I might as well give it a whirl.  I'm embarrassed to say that I actually paid for a one-year subscription to this service and forgot I had done so and so the whole year was wasted.  But, I have also signed up for their magazine for three years and I really look forward to the new issues arriving.  Those magazines make the circuit through my family and then back to me.  They have yet to steer me wrong.  One of my absolute favorite CI recipes is for cole slaw.  I'm going to have to find that issue and put the recipe on a recipe card.  That's one I never want to lose.

I digress.  This morning I tried their "Best Buttermilk Waffles".  I have to agree.  They are the best I've ever made.  And I actually have tried quite a few waffle recipes.  The worst was the one made with oat flour.  But try these and you won't be disappointed.

My waffle maker cooks four 4" square waffles at a time.  This recipe made two full "trays" of four for a total of 8 servings.  I nearly panicked when I realized I forgot to spray the waffle iron with cooking spray.  It didn't matter.  As long as you wait for the waffles to crisp, they don't stick to the waffle iron.  They key is to know how long it takes for a waffle to cook in your iron and then to not peek.   If you peek, you'll split your waffle along a transverse plane and it will never be right again.

Cook's Illustrated claims that a thick batter makes great waffles.  Take their word for it. Their explanation for the recipe includes the following caveats.  1) Cornmeal in the rate of 1 tablespoon per cup flour helps the waffles crisp.  2) Whipping the egg whites makes the interior of the waffle light and airy.

Trust me, you don't need to melt butter on the top of these waffles.  It would be overkill.

Ingredients:

2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 T cornmeal (optional, but I used it)
1 t table salt
2 eggs, separated
14 oz. buttermilk
4 T unsalted butter, melted (1/2 stick)

Directions:

1.  Get the coffee pot going.  Put the bacon or sausage on if you are so inclined.
2.  Turn on the waffle iron.
3.  Mix together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
4.  Whisk together the buttermilk, egg yolks, and melted butter.
5.  Pour yourself a cup of coffee.
5.   Pull out your hand-held mixer and whip the egg whites stiff until they hold 2" peaks.
6.  Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients in a steady stream.
7.  Gently fold in the egg whites.
8.  Check on the sausage or bacon.  Refill your coffee.  I highly recommend adding a little Kahlua.  Just sayin'.
9.  I put about a 1/2-3/4 cup of batter in the center of each of the four sections of the waffle iron or, more technically, four big plops from my rubber spoon.  I add a half "plop" dead center of the iron.  No need to spread it out.  The top of the waffle iron will do that for you.  Put the top down on the iron and walk away for five minutes.  Don't peek.
10.  Remove the waffle from the iron.  It should be golden brown and crispy.  You can hold it in a 200 degree oven if you can help yourself.  I couldn't.
11.  Serve with maple syrup, fruit and confectioner's sugar, or a generous schmear of apple butter. Little tip from your friend D:  Start with one.  You can always get another if you are still hungry.

The key to keeping your waffles from getting all limp and losing their crispness is to NOT STACK THEM.  I hold them directly on a rack in the oven until they cool completely.  Then they can be stacked and frozen.

When it was all over, I had two large waffles with two pieces of sausage, orange juice and coffee.  I will tell you straight up that two waffles was more than my belly could handle.  One is plenty for any adult.  Right now, I'm so full I could pop.  But I do believe that I did this breakfast better than Denny's ever could and it was everything I expected and then some.  Bonus: I have plenty to freeze.

Homemade granola

**A postscript (which is really a pre-script if you are reading this for the first time :p)  This is delicious as a cereal in the morning for breakfast.  It's got legs, so stick with about 1/2 cup or less.  I also added dried cherries as an afterthought.  They are really good in this.

I bought a giant package of oats for the topping on my apple crisp.  The topping reminded me of granola, which got me to poking around the internet to find a granola recipe.  I found this one.  I'd never made granola before and quite honestly, I'm not much of a granola eater.  But I do like granola or grape nuts mixed into my yogurt now and again, and I figured, What the heck?

The ingredients for this recipe are expensive.  I didn't have wheat germ or oat bran on hand, so I had to buy them especially for this.  If I don't like this recipe enough to make again, I'm going to struggle to find something to use those ingredients in.  It contains both nuts and seeds and those aren't cheap. I substituted coconut oil for the vegetable oil.  I used cranberries, not raisins.

I made half a recipe.  It made a full cookie sheet of granola, and not some thin little cookie sheet full.  It was layered at least 1/2" thick on that sheet.  I'd guess it made about 8 cups of granola.  Maybe closer to 10 cups.  It really did need to be stirred in the middle of cooking. In any event, that is way more than enough to keep one or two people happy for a week or two of dedicated granola eating.  The full-recipe would need to be frozen in my household.  I plan on keeping this in the fridge.  I'll let you know how long it lasts in there.

OK, for the important part.  How does it taste?

Awesome.  It is a bit sweet, but the tartness of the cranberries is a nice contrast.  It is nutty.  I used pecans, walnuts, almonds and sunflower seeds.  The only nuts you can taste are the walnuts and pecans.  Next time, I'll leave out the sunflower seeds for sure.  They are just not making their presence known.  But, it is really good.  I don't think I'll have to worry about what to do with the wheat germ and oat bran.  Maybe when I make it again, I'll even throw in some ground flax.  Fiber is good for you, you know.

So if you and yours are granola-eating tree-hugger types, this would make for good camp food.

This recipe halved

Ingredients

• 8 cups rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups wheat germ
• 1 1/2 cups oat bran
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 3/4 cup honey
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups raisins or sweetened dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Combine the oats, wheat germ, oat bran, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, and walnuts in a large bowl. Stir together the salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then pour over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat. Spread the mixture out evenly on the baking sheets.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until crispy and toasted, about 20 minutes. Stir once halfway through. Cool, then stir in the raisins or cranberries before storing in an airtight container.

Saturday Brunch

 Breakfast today was a nice, hearty huevos rancheros.  Just a pair of corn tortillas topped with some leftover northern beans I was given, generously sprinkled with jalapenos, then topped with New Mexico salsa an two poached eggs.  Fantastic and what a way to wake up the taste buds.

Then for lunch, a little of this.  A lovely split pea soup.  Can you tell I was feeling a little in need of comfort food today?  Oh well, it's all tracked on the diet.  I have to go exercise now.  :)

Bloody Breakfast

Would you eat this for breakfast?

I do.

Raspberries over steel-cut oats with a side of grapefruit and a slice of spinach quiche.  Two cups of black coffee.

My morning ritual.

Man, it's good to get up in the morning.