Make Your Own Waffles

My daughter, Alex, has always been a very picky eater.  Whenever she likes something, I always try to make it myself so that I can limit the amount of chemicals and preservatives that she consumes.  Of course, it is good for all of us to do that, but she eats so little, that I tend to focus first on foods for her.

Luckily, everyone in our house likes waffles!  I make this big double batch, make them all and freeze them to use later.  Once frozen, you make them just like store bought frozen waffles - toast and serve.  I make the batter either the morning that I make the waffles, or if I know that I will be in a rush, I make up the batter the night before and put it in the refrigerator overnight.  In the morning, I take it out, give it a quick stir and get started!

I have a waffle maker from Williams-Sonoma, but waffle makers are the kind of thing many people buy with good intentions but never really use, so you can pick them up inexpensively at garage sales or thrift stores.  I would check there first - save money, save something from hitting the landfill, all is good.  My waffle maker makes one large waffle that is sectioned into five smaller sections - I like that because I can break off one or two sections for the smaller kids.

The first time you use the waffle maker, you will need to season it.  This just involves wiping the surface with cooking oil on a paper towel and letting it heat up.  After that, it should be good to go, but if the waffles stick, just repeat the oil for a while until the waffles no longer stick.

To make the waffles, heat the waffle maker until it indicates that it is ready (usually a light goes on or it makes a sound).  Laddle the batter onto the maker, just barely filling the bottom as it will expand as it heats.  Wait for small bubbles to appear on the surface, then close the lid and wait for the signal that the waffles are done.  I find it works to use a fork to pick up the edge of the waffle to remove it.

Once the waffles come out of the waffle maker, I put them on a cooling rack to cool.  I can fit three waffles on my rack, so by the time I put the third one on, the first one is cool and I can wrap it in plastic wrap and move all the waffles up on the rack to make room for the next waffle.  If you wrap them up while they are hot, the steam will make them mushy, so be sure to cool them.

I wrap each one individually so that they don't stick together.  You'll want to put all the wrapped waffles into a airtight container, a freezer safe zipper bag or wrap them in foil, to help prevent freezer burn.

Basic Waffle Recipe:

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

3 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup cooking oil

Enjoy!