Wafflemania!

March 10, 2024  •  No Comments

Once in a while, I get a craving for waffles and then nothing else will do. I don’t need to worry about food allergies, but I know any number of people on gluten-free diets who have had to avoid the toasty decadence of this brunch favorite. 

 

In an effort to end this tragic situation, I got together with a friend and tried three different gluten-free waffle recipes to see what we could learn. Note:  we greased the waffle irons with olive oil for all the recipes

In the picture, from left to right, are recipes #1, #3, and #2. Note #1 used a small waffle iron.

Test Recipe #1:

My go-to recipe is from a 1907 Lowney’s cookbook. The page is covered with stains and splashes, which indicates it was used a lot. As is more common in these old recipes, it’s sugar-free and so can be used for sweet or savory combos–and if I’m smothering my breakfast in syrup anyway, I don’t need sweetness in the batter. The real secret to this recipe is whipping the eggs whites and folding them in last. This gives the waffle a fluffy, light tenderness that remained in a gluten free state. The only change I made was substituting Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 baking flour.

Sift:

2 cups of flour (gluten free, see above)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt.

Add:

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 cup plus 1/3 cup milk

3 egg yolks

Beat the egg whites to a stiff peak and fold into the batter.  Cook to golden brown perfection!

Test Recipe #2:

Sift:

1.5 cups amaranth flour

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/4 cup arrowroot flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch each of salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg

In another bowl, mix:

1/3 cup apple juice

3 beaten eggs

1 tablespoon melted butter or vegetable oil

1/3 cup water

Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly. Add more liquid if the batter is too thick. Proceed to the waffle iron.

Test Recipe #3:

Follow Recipe #2, but use teff flour instead.

Our Findings:

All three recipes produced waffles that could be frozen and reheated. The first recipe was very close to a “traditional” waffle. The teff waffles had a nice nutty flavor, but were quite dense. These would be best served with a juicy berry mixture or other topping that needs a firmer base. I would like to try this one again and beat the egg whites separately as per recipe #1. The amaranth waffles were also sturdy, but had a lighter flavor I liked a lot.  I think there’s more experimenting to be done, but overall this session produced a tasty product sensitive to gluten-free requirements.

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Gluten-Free Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

February 5, 2021  •  2 Comments

Not all gluten-free products belong on a diet plan. Some recipes are shamelessly loaded with sugar and butter, like this one. Needless to say, it’s so yummy even the most ardent junk food addict will enjoy it.

Gluten-Free Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350F

Cream:

3/4 cup of sugar (try ½ cup brown to ¼ white)

2/3 cup soft butter

I used a food processor with a mixer blade for this—thoroughly creaming the butter makes a better cookie.

Mix in:

½ tablespoon vanilla

2 eggs

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

3 cups of almond flour

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Spoon onto greased cookie sheets. These cookies spread quite a bit, so make them small and give them lots of room. In my oven, 12 minutes was the perfect time to get a golden-brown cookie with a crispy outside and soft inside. When the cookie sheet comes out of the oven, allow it to cool slightly before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.

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