Awfuls

Some years back, on vacation, I purchased a Mickey Mouse waffle iron.  We stopped in at my sister’s house on the way home and—excited to try out my new toy—I made waffles for breakfast.  My 3-year-old nephew ate four of them and then exclaimed “I really like awfuls!”

Last night I asked my husband what he’d like for Sunday breakfast and he replied “Awfuls!”  I was happy to oblige, especially since he’d given me enough lead time to prepare my favourite waffle batter.

My favourite waffle is yeast raised, adapted from a recipe in “The Breakfast Book” by Marion Cunningham. It’s simple to make but does require some advance planning.  It’s well worth the effort so, when I do take the time to make it, I double or triple the batch and then freeze the extra waffles.  The frozen waffles are easily reheated: Just place them directly on the racks of a preheated 350ºF oven for 5 minutes.

If you’d like to try these waffles yourself, here’s how:

Use a large mixing bowl.  The batter will double in volume as the yeast works. 

Heat 2-1/2 c. milk to lukewarm and add 1tsp. sugar.  Stir until the sugar dissolves and then sprinkle 1 package of dry yeast (2-1/4 tsp.) over the surface of the milk.  Let stand until the yeast dissolves.

Stir 1/2 c. canola oil, 2 c. flour, and 1 tsp. salt, and beat the batter until it's smooth and blended.  (It takes a fair bit of mixing so you may want to use a hand-held electric beater instead of mixing it by hand.)  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it stand overnight at room temperature.

Just before you cook the waffles, beat in 2 eggs and 1/4 tsp. baking soda until well mixed. 

The batter will be quite thin.  Pour about a half cup of batter onto your preheated waffle iron and bake the waffles until they’re golden and crisp.

Enjoy.