Belgian Waffles

This is my very first blog post, and I have to admit I am a bit (Ok, a LOT) nervous. I have been thinking about doing this for a very long time. I have written this post in my head at least a hundred times. The problem is that every time it is different. Anyway, I have decided that it is just time to begin. Here goes. . .

What could be better for breakfast on a Saturday morning with the family than home-made Belgian Waffles? I can't think of a thing. So, almost every Saturday morning I whip up a batch of these bad boys, and we eat them all up. 

Tip: You can mix the dry ingredients ahead of time and store them in plastic baggies to save some prep time in the morning. I do this when we go to our friends' cabin, but mostly I prefer to make a fresh mix every time.

What You Will Need:
Belgian Waffle Iron
Non-Stick Cooking Oil Spray
Cooling Racks

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Rice Flour
1/3 cup Potato Starch
1/3 cup Tapioca Starch/Flour
1/3 cup Ground Flax Meal
1/2 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Xanthum Gum
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Millk or Buttermilk
1/4 cup Butter (Melted)
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon Vinegar
1 teaspoon Vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat waffle iron. Spray lightly with non-stick cooking oil spray. 

Place butter in a microwave safe bowl and melt. Set aside.
Mix milk/buttermilk with vinegar. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix together rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch/flour, ground flax meal, sugar, xanthum gum, baking powder, and salt. I use a whisk to mix the ingredients to ensure even distribution. Some people sift their flour. I think that takes way too long, and I am not very patient when I am hungry.

Whisk in the milk/buttermilk, melted butter, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until well blended and smooth.

Follow the manufacturer's directions for your waffle iron to cook waffles. Cool waffles on cooling racks for 2 minutes before serving. This keeps them from getting soggy. Makes 4-6 waffles, depending on the size of your waffle iron.

Substitutions:
If you don't have ground flax meal, replace it with 1/3 cup potato starch.

If you want to kick up the protein, replace the rice flour with soy flour.

Additions:
I always add chocolate chips for my kids. Olivia loves semi-sweet and white chocolate. Tommy just likes the semi-sweet. After much trial and error, I have found the easiest way to add chips. Pour 1/2 a waffle's worth of batter in the iron, sprinkle chips over the batter, pour the remaining 1/2 waffle's worth of batter over the chips. Be sure to cover them completely. Close waffle iron, and follow manufacturer's directions.

You can add blueberries, nuts, cinnamon - whatever you like.

Toppings:
On an average day, I like maple syrup and powdered sugar on my waffles. My hubby prefers honey and powdered sugar. But, on special occasions, I like to kick it up a notch with fruit and whipped cream. 

To make the fruit topping - in a small saucepan, cook a Tablespoon of butter,    2 Tablespoons of sugar, and 1 cup of fresh fruit (sliced strawberries, sliced bananas, blueberries, or whatever you like) until sugar dissolves and fruit is warmed.

That's about it. Eat and enjoy! 

Thanks for reading! I'd love to read your comments, suggestions and feedback! 

"Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic."   ~Anonymous

Sheryl