01-27-2015

Buttermilk Belgian Waffles {Gluten Free & Eggless}

Regardless of winter’s blizzards or summer’s sunshine, my absolute favorite breakfast will always be Belgian waffles topped with vanilla bean ice cream and local honey.
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Seriously, isn’t that everyone’s favorite breakfast? How could anything else compete?

Unfortunately, going gluten free meant a hiatus from this way too often eaten delicacy. Every recipe I tried was missing something or had a very gritty aftertaste!

And then, it got worse…I realized I could no longer eat eggs!

And eggs are a  vital component to a light and crispy, deeply thick waffle. But there are plenty of vegan waffle recipes, so, I gave them a try.

What a disaster!!! Numerous times I had to use an air compressor to remove the waffle from the waffle iron!
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Then a few months ago I came across America’s Test Kitchen How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook.

So glad I did! After months of using their  recipe as my base, I was able to perfect a waffles recipe that is eggless and doesn’t use refined sugar. Voila!

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{Recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook}
Tips & Tricks ~

Substituting coconut sugar in lieu of granulated sugar helps produce an even browning throughout and is much healthier.
Using Ener-G Egg replacer has worked like a champ in this recipe. I did not have luck substituting flax or chia seed in waffles. You really need the extra leavening that the Ener-G Egg replacer provides. {Flax & chia substitutes work better in cookies versus bread & waffles where you are trying for a yeasty flavor.}
Most homeowner’s don’t have buttermilk readily on hand, but for this recipe, I suggest using the real deal. I tried using the cookbook’s alternate suggestion of mixing yogurt with milk and they turned out ok, just not perfect. If you try mixing milk with a tablespoon of vinegar {a normally good substitute for buttermilk} it produces a too thin batter that just doesn’t bake up correctly. 

Gluten Free Buttermilk Belgian Waffles

Yield: 4 Belgian Waffles

Ingredients

  • 6 ounces (1 1/3 cup + 1 TBSP) Gluten Free Flour Blend
  • 1 TBSP coconut sugar
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 cup + 2 TBSP buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
  • 2 TBSP almond milk unsweetened & unflavored or water
  • 2 TBSP melted butter + 1 tsp for waffle iron
  • 1 TBSP vanilla

Instructions

  1. Heat Belgian waffle iron on medium, brush iron with a tiny bit of butter as needed.
  2. In a small glass bowl, combine egg replacer with either almond milk or water. Combine well until no lumps remain and set aside.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
  4. Measure buttermilk in a glass measuring bowl and heat in microwave for 20 seconds, until room temperature.
  5. In a medium size bowl, combine egg replacement mixture, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.
  6. Whisk liquid mixture into the dry mixture and continue to whisk for 1 minute. The batter will be thick and no lumps will remain.
  7. Once your waffle iron is preheated, spoon a 1/3 cup of batter onto each waffle iron square and cook until beeping occurs.

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Enjoy ~

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04-02-2014

Spelt Cornbread Muffins

When it comes to gluten free & egg yolk less baking, there are lots more failures than successes, it seems. At least in my kitchen there are! This past weekend I managed to glue the waffle maker stuck, no joke, when I tried to make yolk-less waffles!

But recently, I have had lots of luck replacing whole wheat pastry flour with a mixture of spelt & tapioca flours.

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These cornbread muffins were so delightful after numerous failures in the kitchen. They have a tender crumb, are moist, and have great corn flavor. I found the recipe in a vegan cookbook, as I’ve decided baking egg-yolk-less would be easiest if I simply followed vegan recipes. This is from Isa Does It and will be a recipe I use frequently. The only difference I made was substituting spelt & tapioca flour for the whole wheat pastry flour she calls for.

Tips & Tricks ~
I am just guessing here…but I think baking these directly in the muffin pans sans muffin liners is what creates the crust you are seeking in corn muffins. If you oil the pan well, you should have no problem in the clean-up! Use white (or sometimes called light) spelt flour to have a less dense muffin.

Spelt Cornbread Muffins
1 cup almond milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup + 2 tsp white spelt flour
2 Tbsp tapioca flour
1 cup self rising corn meal
1/3 cup coconut sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp refined coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 cup corn kernels (optional & if using frozen, thaw first)

Preheat the oven to 350degrees. Lightly coat a 12 cup muffin pan with canola oil or cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar, setting aside for atleast 2 minutes to curdle.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flours, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In the small bowl of milk, stir in the melted coconut oil and applesauce. Make a well in the bottom of the dry ingredients. Pour liquid ingredients into the well of dry ingredients. Mix together the dry & wet ingredients just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Be careful to not overmix as this minimizes how much muffins rise.

Fill muffin pans with batter and bake in preheated oven for approximately 18 minutes. Remove from oven and insert a spoon around the edges to help muffins be easily removed.

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Enjoy! And may we all have more successes in the kitchen this week than failures!

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