Whole Wheat Buttermilk Waffles

 
So I finally bought a waffle iron.  Since I dislike having too many kitchen gadgets in the house, I had been waffling (ha) for months on whether I should buy one.  But finally, after seeing so many delicious waffle recipes, I decided to get one.  And, of course, I picked the day to go to Bed, Bath and Beyond the day after that HUGE storm.  They were open but without power so a nice employee used a flashlight to guide me around the dark store to find the right waffle iron and then manually rang up my transaction (talk about dedication!).

After all their hard work, it only seemed appropriate to use the waffle iron immediately.  I chose the whole wheat buttermilk waffle recipe from the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook.  They were delicious! Crisp on the outside and light and airy on the inside.  Also, I love that this recipe was so quick that I could make it before church yesterday morning (even better, you can make the batter up to 24 hours ahead of time to make an even easier morning but I was too busy watching the Olympic Trials the night before).   I refrigerated the leftover cooked waffles and then popped them in the toaster the next morning for an easy and delicious breakfast! (Leftover cooked waffles also freeze very well.)

Thanks to this recipe, I have a feeling I'll be getting a lot of use out of this waffle maker!

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Waffles
Taken from: America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook
Serves 4-6 (next time, I'll double or triple the recipe and freeze the remaining waffles)

Update: I never, EVER separate the eggs and whip the whites.  I don't have the time (or interest, frankly).  But these still turn out great!

• 1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 2 Tbsp. cornmeal (I was out so I substituted 2 Tbsp of wheat bran instead)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 3-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk (I used 1 1/2 cups of leftover whey from making yogurt instead)
• 3 Tbsp maple syrup (I was out so I used brown sugar instead)
• pinch of cream of tartar (optional)
• oil spray for waffle iron

1. Heat waffle iron. 
2. (The batter can be made 24 hours ahead of time and then refrigerated. Just follow steps 2-6.) Whisk flours, cornmeal, salt and baking soda together in a large bowl.
3. In separate bowl, whisk egg yolks (OR if you are not whipping the egg whites, just use the whole egg) and melted butter together, then whisk in buttermilk and maple syrup until uniform.
4. Optional (I ALWAYS omit this step): In a large bowl, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on low speed until foamy (about 1 minute), and then increase to medium high speed, whipping until whites hold stiff peaks, 3-7 minutes. 
5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the buttermilk mixture into the well and lightly whisk until just incorporated (a few lumps should remain).
6. If you have whipped egg whites, gently fold into the batter with a spatula.  (If making ahead of time, cover the batter and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready to use, just whisk the batter to recombine and adjust its consistency as needed with water before cooking. Continue with step 7.)
7. Spray the hot waffle iron with the vegetable oil spray, then spread the appropriate amount of batter in the iron. Cook according to your waffle iron's specifications. Repeat with remaining batter, spraying waffle iron as needed between batches. Enjoy.
8. If freezing waffles or refrigerating waffles, allow waffles to cool completely on a cooling rack.  Package and label your waffles in freezer bags.Store in your freezer for up to 6 weeks (or in your fridge for a few days). To serve, open freezer bag and remove a waffle (may require minimal prying) and reheat in a toaster.