Light, Crisp Waffles

By nekmor

Ingredients

• 3-1/2 oz. (3/4 cup) bleached all-purpose flour
• 1 oz. (1/4 cup) cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup milk
• 6 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, separated
• 1 Tbs. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from finecooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat the oven to 200°F and heat the waffle iron. Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Measure the buttermilk, milk, and vegetable oil in a Pyrex measuring cup; mix in the egg yolk and set aside.

In another bowl, beat the egg white almost to soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are firm and glossy. Beat in the vanilla.

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. Drop the whipped egg white onto the batter in dollops and fold in with a spatula until just incorporated.

Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron (mine takes about 2/3 cup) and cook until the waffle is crisp and nutty brown (follow the manufacturer's instructions for timing at first and then adjust to your liking). Set the waffle directly on the oven rack to keep it warm and crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter, holding the waffles in the oven (don't stack them). When all the waffles are cooked, serve immediately.

Variations

Add 1/4 cup wheat germ to the dry ingredients.

Stir 1/2 cup coarsely chopped chocolate chips (or 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips) into the batter.

Stir 2 tsp. finely grated orange zest and 1/2 cup coarsely chopped dried cranberries into the batter.

I call these my OMG Waffles! Followed the recipe exactly and added a little cinnamon and nutmeg to the dry dry ingredients. Smells wonderful, crunches wonderfully yet soft on the inside. I serve with homemade blueberry syrup (recipe from Allrecipes.com). I make these at least once a week. This is my Sunday splurge or weekday indulgence if I don't have to go to work. We never get tired of them. Sometimes it's the chicken and waffles for breakfast, sometimes my husbands asks for them for dinner. For me, this recipe makes about 2.5 full waffles, which at first worked out great. My husband and I would each eat a full one and my son the half. But now that I have it down pat, my 12-year-old son has now requested a whole waffle. I guess I'll just have to make more. Thank you for sharing - I looove waffles. Now I can have them when I want, and not have to wait to go to a restaurant. These are just as good, if not better. Thanks again

A couple notes on this recipe... first of all... A-MAZING! Now that we have that out of the way, I made a few tweeks to this recipe for my liking that make it even more amazing. Firsly, used unsalted melted butter instead of oil. I tried it both ways and didn't find that it effected the crispiness but it did add that lovely butter flavor to it. Second, I added another egg white. I just tossed the second egg yolk I found this added the the crispiness and lightness. Thirdly, this is something my mom and her mom have always done, lay 1 1/2 strips of bacon (maple flavored is best) over the batter before closing the waffle iron. Yes, it will cook the bacon directly into the waffle. Yes, it will cook all the way through in the time it takes to cook the waffle. If you MUST have crispy bacon, this is not for you. It's not rubbery and undercooked, but it is not crispy bacon. LASTLY, something I picked up from tiple D, warm real maple syrup in a pan over low heat, then add an equal amount of butter to the syrup to melt the butter into the syrup. Absolutely incredible! Try it, it's amazing, I promise!

This is a fantastic waffle recipe if prepared properly. You can adjust the sugar or vanilla to taste, salt as well... I used extra light olive oil and it was even better than veg oil...tried both. Anyone who didn't have success probably did not beat the whites enough and incorporate sugar properly, then gently fold. I made about 12 variations, sweet and savory...11 turned out. Try some lemon juice w/ the egg whites, drop the sugar and vanilla and add some honey to the milk/yolk mixture. Then add some fresh thyme to the batter before folding in whites. Garnish with lemon zest and simple syrup (made with water, lemon, thyme stalks and honey). Edible flowers and a sprig of thyme sticking through the waffles looks sick as a garnish. I ate them before snapping a shot. Thanks for this recipe Pamela.

It's worth the extra work. I found out my first batch I took out of the iron too soon. Left the other one in a little longer and I didn't even need to use the oven. Secret is not to stack them or place them on a plate too long or they will get soft. But holds syrup well and very light. This receipe is a definite keeper. But know that it only made 7 in my waffle iron. Hopefully you can double it and it comes out the same!

Fantastic! Crisp, light texture, and very delicious. Only the next time I'll add half the salt. Second "Fine Cooking" recipe that I love by Pamela Anderson -- the first was for "Chops (Pork, Chicken & Turkey Cutlets)" with various sauces.

Pros: The best waffles ever.
Cons: Recipe only makes about 8 waffles.

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!! Light, fluffy, crispy - I added chopped crispy bacon to the batter & put that in my waffle iron, I can't even begin to tell you how fabulous they were. A little butter & real maple syrup on top, then put an 'over easy egg' on top of the waffle - OMG!!!!

My husband is such a finicky eater or I could say he has a fine palate. Either way, he hates cake and cakey waffles. So, I did a search and this recipe was the first I found that actually made sense on how to get a light waffle. Well, he loves the recipe. I added butter instead of oil, cinnamon, and doubled the vanilla because he loves the vanilla flavor. Super great recipe...I joined so that I could leave this review. Thanks for saving me from cakey waffles!!!

My family and I agree, these are the BEST waffles EVER. I don't normally post a review, but these are GREAT!!!!! The only suggestion I have is make sure you put them in the oven for at least 10-15 minutes so they get crispy. If they feel a little limp, just keep them in the oven a little longer. I laughed when I read a review from someone who thought about them all week, .. well.. me too! wow.. soooo good.

Excellent recipe. Very happy with the outcome. For those people who wrote that their waffles were chewy, make sure that your iron is heated properly and is VERY hot. Another tip is to let waffles (as the recipe indicates) get more brown.

Waffles as they should be-light and crispy beyond belief. The waffle recipe I've been searching to find for many years. I made the cornmeal variation using stoneground cornmeal-so they were crispy and crunchy.
Another fabulous recipe from Pam Anderson.

These were delicious..but! They were a little too chewy. The exterior of the waffle remained crisp even with the syrup, which I loved. The internal texture looked open and airy but it wasn't as tender as I expected them to be. They tasted and smelled wonderful with nice soft vanilla flavor. I will make them again, I just need to figure out how to lighten them without losing the crispyness once the syrup is applied. Maybe less oil? Add addtional water or use water instead of milk?

OK, I consider myself to be a pretty good cook, but I must have done something terribly wrong to this recipe given all of the rave reviews. I'll make allowances for the fact that I forgot to add the salt (quite bland without it, I assure you!). However, the texture was gummy, so I perhaps over worked the eggs? Or was it the corn starch? I'm not sure, so I'm on the quest for a simpler recipe.

I first made the recipe in May or so on a Sunday morning. All week long I waited impatiently for the following Sunday when I could make them again. I may have even dreamed about them. After making these, I see no reason to try any other waffle recipe. They don't even need a topping....just hot straight out of the iron is good enough. When I made them last Sunday my two kids said they couldn't wait for toppings and they ate them hot out of the iron. Warning: the batter is also pretty tasty, on Sunday my 4-year-old asked if she could dip the hot waffle into the batter and eat it that way. I let her (hey, you're only young once) and she proclaimed: "Mommy, I don't like it like this. I LOVE it like this!!"

I created an account on this website specifically to comment on this recipe. When I was young my dad made waffles for us almost every weekend that we were at his house. He used an old waffle iron he had found on the side of the road and it made the BEST waffles! He has since lost the recipe, and I've gone through DOZENS looking for a waffle that even came close to the ones that dad used to make. FINALLY, after purchasing my OWN old waffle iron from the Salvation Army for $5, I found this recipe. Crispy, light, golden brown, perfect, BETTER THAN DAD'S!! I was soooo happy to finally have the PERFECT waffle recipe! My husband, mom, and sister ALL LOVE THEM! Thank you SOOO much for putting this recipe out for everyone to use! :)

I LOVE this recipe and use it exclusively now. The first time, I thought the waffles tasted a little too much like oil though, so the next time, I mixed it up and used melted butter instead and WOW! I love butter though, so be prepared. You don't need to add anything to the tops of the babies before chowing down. Thank you so much!

I LOVE this recipe and use it exclusively now. The first time, I thought the waffles tasted a little too much like oil though, so the next time, I mixed it up with melted butter instead and WOW! I love butter though, so be prepared. You don't need to add anything to the tops of the babies before chowing down. Thank you so much!

Excellent! I made a few changes the second time: half the salt, added cinnamon and double vanilla. Used butter instead of veg oil.

I've tried many waffle recipes. This one is the best so far. The waffles were light and crisp. I doubled the recipe. I didn't change anything else. Even the picky eater of the house loved them (and that says a lot).The batter was great - not thick or thin - very easy to work with. I will make them again.

The creator of "One Perfect Pancake Recipe - and nine intriguing variations" has done it again. Positively, the best waffle my family and I have ever enjoyed. Thanks Pam!!!

Best ever! Our family's favorite recipe. I always make them for morning guests. My 6 year old son is requesting them for his birthday breakfast party.

I started making this waffle recipe when it first appeared in Fine Cooking and just love it. The waffles are crisp and tasty. I've tried many of the variations and they are good too. C.B., Grosse Ile, MI

great waffles. i used yogurt instead of buttermilk; used white whole wheat flour; added extra eggwhite; substituted butter for oil. great flavor when served with strawberries & maple-butter syrup.

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