I’ve had a waffle iron for a pretty long time. I bought it, determined that I’d make waffles at least once a week. Somehow, the iron got packed away into the loft, and I forgot all about it until a few weeks ago when we rearranged the space. I was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning when I found it, and I immediately set out to make waffles based on Michel Roux’s recipe that I’ve used a few times, and always turns out just right: light, with the right amount of air pockets. Yes, air pockets are vital.
While my waffle iron is the home use kind, with a non stick coating, I’ve promised myself the one with cast iron plates that will give my waffles the superior golden glow and the perfect crunch once. Of course, they’re going to have deeper squares to hold that much more honey.
Here’s the key to the perfect texture: Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Add the beaten yolks to the batter. Then, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold them in gently into the final batter using a spatula. This results in a fluffy, airy interior.
Also, it’s important that you don’t pour too much batter into your waffle maker. The amount you need varies from machine to machine, and you should plan to use your first waffle as a test specimen. Pour right in the centre till it spreads to the sides. Cook until golden and crisp.
The possibilities of playing with waffles are endless. For toppings you can have ice cream, coulis, flambéd fRuit, nuts, cinnamon sugar, seasonal fruits, whipped cream, banana manna (oh, yes), You can even tweak what you put into the batter: cornmeal, buckwheat, ground nuts. And then there are batter flavourings: lime zest, orange zest, vanilla pods, cinnamon.
Hot golden waffles, doused with lychee honey and topped with sliced mangoes, are my breakfast and mid night snack of choice this season. It’s like happiness in a bite. Sometimes, when I’m lazy to slice the mango (or looking for another excuse to eat another spoonful of Nutella), I fill the squares with Nutella (that’s what they’re really meant for). Ooooh.
Classic Waffles
From Eggs by Michael Roux (USA | UK | India)
Ingredients
160g flour
15g caster sugar
A pinch of salt
50g melted butter
2 eggs, seperated
270 ml milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Combine the flour, sugar, salt, melted butter and egg yolks and about a third of the milk. Whisk until smooth, add in the remaining milk gradually. Stir in the vanilla. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the whites into the batter.
- Lightly brush the waffle iron with butter, ladle the batter over it and close the lid. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes until the indicator goes off, or the waffles are as golden and crisp as you like.
- Serve immediately with a drizzle of honey and sliced mangoes or your choice of topping.
