Our family now has a waffle iron! No one is happier than our daughter. This early morning while it was still dark and the autumn air chilled my face as I snuck out to get the paper, I decided it was time to make gluten-free & dairy-free waffles. The recipe was simple and came out of a bag, Namaste Foods Waffle & Pancake Mix. I made a few adjustments to the instructions. I added more vanilla extract. And, I separated the eggs so I could whisk the whites to soft peaks which I knew would lighten the batter. That's a baking basic from culinary school.
My experience with gluten-free baking is that it takes higher heat to brown the product. So, I kicked up the heat knob to 5 and was sure the waffle iron was well-preheated. I filled the mold with my light batter, closed the lid, and crossed my fingers. Three minutes later I had a perfectly golden brown and crisp waffle! My daughter pitter-patted into the kitchen and beamed when she smelled the waffle iron at work. She sat down at the counter with her recipe-testing posture, poured the warm maple syrup over the steaming waffle, and smiled. Yummy!
I made a double batch of waffles so I could freeze them for another morning. My personal chef days taught me the freezer can be your best friend. Sure, it takes more planning to eat gluten & dairy-free, so I try to keep ahead of the game.
Don't forget to heat your syrup while the waffles are cooking. My favorite is Vermont maple syrup, dark amber. My cousin taps maple trees from which he makes his own syrup and ships me the delicious, sticky, sweet treat.
Now that makes for a happy start to a Friday…TGIF!