These are so good!
And~ they are: gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, rice-free, nightshade-free and refined-sugar-free. Did I miss any? :)For a while now, I have been tinkering with my waffle recipe (originally shared on 5/4/18). Over the past week, I have been pulling together my thoughts on the final tweaks, and tonight I gave them a try. The results are just what I hoped for- crispy, golden, tender and tasty.
Here it is, at long last, my revised and much improved waffle recipe:
(Everything-free) "Buttermilk" Waffles
Makes about eight 4-inch waffles.
Make flax gel "eggs"
In a small saucepan, combine
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon flax seeds
~Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium. Boil one minute, strain out seeds and save gel. Let it cool while you prepare the other ingredients. Store leftover gel in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It's easier to measure when warm. Once it's cold, it has the texture of egg white.
I have tried other egg substitutes, but the flax gel really gives the best result.
Make "buttermilk"
In a glass measuring cup:
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
add alternative milk to equal one cup. (I use Unsweetened Vanilla coconut milk beverage)
~ Let this sit and curdle while you move on.
Dry ingredients:
1 Cup millet flour
1 Cup tapioca or arrowroot starch
2 heaping Tablespoons coconut sugar
1 Tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients:
the milk/lemon mixture, plus...
3 Tablespoons flax gel
1/3 cup neutral flavored oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (optional, but yummy)
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly. In a smaller bowl, combine wet ingredients, whisk lightly, then add to dry. Whisk vigorously until batter thickens.
(From what I've read, the xanthan gum requires active movement to hydrate it and to activate its thickening properties.)
Let the batter rest while the waffle iron heats. In my experience, gluten-free batters stick badly. I use a standard baking spray, and spray the iron lightly every time I add batter. We have a big, four-square Belgian waffle baker. I use a medium-sized cookie scoop and drop a dollop of waffle batter in the center of each square. I used to put a big blob of batter in the center of the baker, to make one big, connected waffle, but the center wouldn't bake properly. Once I switched to making four individual waffles, they baked just fine.
Bake until crisp and golden brown. I put mine on a cooling rack as soon as they come out of the waffle iron. This keeps them from getting soggy. Store in an airtight container or bag in the refrigerator.
This recipe doubles well. I've learned, with most recipes, to double everything but the salt. Using about 1 1/2 times the salt works out well.
This makes a delicious Saturday morning breakfast! I used some as a base for Strawberry shortcake recently~ delicious with coconut-milk whipped topping or non-dairy vanilla ice cream. :)
As leftovers, they don't retain their crispness. I don't mind that, but if you want more crisp leftovers, you might try toasting them in a toaster, or even re-heating in the waffle iron. I'd be interested to know how well that works.
Happy eating, and thanks for stopping by!
