WAFFLES.

Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 57

WAFFLES.

Waffles are one of our most acceptable dishes, not only at breakfast but at an occasional luncheon or supper (writes Belle Lowe, Foods and Nutrition Department, lowa State College, in the Ladies’ Home Journal). They may even be served in shortcake for <dinner. The informal charm of making them at the table is often an addecl appeal. They differ greatly, and may vary all the way from bready, compact,- and rather tough ones made from stiff batters to the very tender, crisp ones which result from thinner mixtures.

For some time we have been experi menting in our laboratory with different proportions'* of ingredients. It has been interesting to find that the majority of students prefer the waffles made fron thin batters. '

The stiffness of the batter is- not entirely determined by the proportion of flour to liquid, but for convenience those

with one and one-third cupfuls of flour to one cupful of liquid may be classed as thin batters and those with more flour than this as thick batters. Also, the kind of waffle depends as much upon the way it is baked as upon the ingredients it contains. PLAIN WAFFLE RECIPE. Required: Two eggs, one cupful of mi}k, half teaspoonful of salt, two tablespoonfuls of melted shortening, one cupful and a-third of flour, one teaspoonful of baking powder. Sift the baking powder and salt with the flour. Waffles made with a tartrate or phosphate baking powder require more powder if they are to stand as long as 30 minutes before baking. Separate the yolks and wlr’tes of the eggs, putting the yolks in the mixing bowl and the whites in a dish in which they can be beaten. Beat the yolks, add some of the milk to them and then blend well by beating. Add the rest of the milk, then add the dry ingredients all at once, stir slowly, about 15 strokes or until just a little dry flour can be seen. Add the melted fat or oil and beat for some 25 strokes. The batter should be rather pebbled, similar to a muffin mixture. Beat the egg whites until they form peaks when the beater is lifted from the bowl. If beaten too stiff they will not blend well with the batter. ’Fold them into the batter with the spoon, using about 15 folds for combining. The eg" white should not be entirely lost from sight at this time. Pour the mixture into one of the lovely waffle pitchers or else into one of the new waffle bowls. The above quantity makes three or four waffles, depending upon the depth of the waffle iron, if used in one of the round irons with four sections. When the batter is poured from the ladle accompanying the waffle bowl it will be found that the ladle needs to be filled once and half again to make one waffle. An electric waffle iron needs to be connected about eight or ten minutes before the baking i s started, though the time varies somewhat with different irons. The new irons in which the temperature is indicated simplify baking tremendously. Other irons are tested with a drop of w-ater. If the water boils and forms a. little ball the iron is ready for baking. If, on the other ; hand, it sizzles vigorously it is too hot. . Pour in just enough batter to fill the ; iron, as learned by a little experience. I -Since the crispness and tenderness of waffles denend in part upon baking, this part of waffle making is important. With most of our irons I like to bake them four or five minutes. The time varies, however, according to the iron, and so unfortunately no perfectly definite direction can be given. Irons that get very hot need to be disconnected occasionally. The thinner the batter, the longer the waffle needs to he baked to be crisp, and to make this possible, a cooler iron should be used.

I wondered for a long time if the crispness and tenderness of the waffle were influenced by the method of adding the fat. By colouring the fat rod with a dye not soluble in water, and keeping thC" timC" of baking and the proportion of ingredients constant, it was found that it does not seem to make much difference when the fat is added. In the wadbatter the fat is distributed through the batter_ in tiny spheres, in pools and layers, and in thin films or layers around the gas bubbles. The time of adding it does not seem to make much difference in its final distribution. It mav be added to the egg yolks and beaten before adding the milk. This gives a stiffer batter. The melted fat or oil may be poured into the egg and milk before the flour is added. The milk should not be so cold that it will solidify the fat. By either method the flour should not be mixed too long with the liquid ingredients. Graham Waffles.—To make Graham waffles substitute one and one third cupfuls of Graham flour for the white flour in the above recipe. Graham waffles can be mixed a little longer than the same waffles-with white flour. But do not use more than 50 or 60 strokes for mixing the flour with the liquid. The Graham flour is not sifted, hence the baking powder is mixed with the flour before adding to the batter. Crisp waffles make delicious shortcake. But the waffle needs more fat and some sugar. When sugar is added to a waffle batter, the tendency for the waffle to become limp is increased. This tendency is counteracted to a certain extent by increasing the quantity of egg. But with this large quantity of fat, sugar, and egg, the flour and baking powder must be increased. SHORTCAKE.

Required": Three eggs, one cupful of milk, half, cupful of sugar, half teaspoonful of salt, one-third to one-half cupful of softened or melted fat, two cupfuls of flour, and two teaspoonfuls of baking powder.

Combine ingredients as" for plain waffles. Add the sugar to the milk and egg, stirring to dissolve the sugar. If the batter is to stand thirty minutes before baking, increase the baking •tow’der to three teaspoonfuls for a tartrate or phosphate powder. These rich waffles are better if baked at a little lower temperature than the plain ones. The iron may be disconnected a short time during the baking. Bake about six ninutes.

These rich waffles may be served with butter. For shortcake, sweetened pineapple, x strawberries, apricots, and •leaches, either fresh or canned, or els” almost any kind of berry may be server’ on the waffle, topped with whipped cream.

Cocoa Waffles.—By decreasing the flour in the shortcake-waffle recipe to one and three-quarter cupfuls, and adding one-quarter of a cupful of cocoa a -different waffle is obtained. The batter may be seasoned with vanilla. Combine ingredients just as for the shortcake recipe, adding the cocoa to the flour. Serve with butter and syrup or as a dessert with whipped cream. Gingerbread Waffles.—All the gingerbread recipes that I have tried may be baked as waffles. The trouble comes in the baking. Molasses or sorghum burns easily. Test the waffle iron with a drop of water before pouring in the batter. The iron should be hot enough to boil the water. If the iron is too hot or too cold there is more danger of the waffles sticking. Keep the iron considerably less hot for gingerbread waffles than for plain ones.

For a still crisper waffle, increase the fat in the plain waffle recipe to three tablespoonfuls, and for a lighter one increase the baking powder to two teaspoonfuls. If difficulty is encountered in controlling the iron for baking gingerbread waffles, a little extra flour to stiffen the batter will help.