Buckwheat waffles

Buckwheat Waffles Recipe

• Prep time:15 minutes
• Cook time:20 minutes
• Yield:Makes 8 to 12 waffles, serves 4 to 5.

The fluffiness of these waffles is greatly enhanced by whipping the egg whites and folding them into the waffle batter. The whipped egg whites also help to provide structure for the waffles. You can skip this step, but the result will be a little more dense. When whipping egg whites it's important that everything that touches the egg whites is very clean. Even the smallest amount of fat, butter, or egg yolk can interfere with the whip-ability (is that a word?) of the egg whites. So make sure you separate the eggs carefully, and remove any specks of egg yolk that may have wandered into the whites (it's easiest to do that with a large piece of egg shell).

You can substitute the plain yogurt and milk combination with buttermilk.

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups buckwheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of cinnamon
• 2 eggs, separated, plus 2 additional egg whites for extra lightness
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 cup milk (low fat or regular)
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• Extra pats of butter for serving
• Heated maple syrup for serving
• Berries for serving

METHOD

1Turn on your waffle maker, with the setting on medium. In a large bowl, whisk together the buckwheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

2Place the egg whites in a medium bowl and beat with a hand mixer or egg beater. Sprinkle in the sugar as you beat the egg whites.  Beat egg whites until you have soft peaks.

3In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, the melted butter, yogurt, milk, and water.

4Pour the yogurt/milk/butter/egg mixture into the buckwheat flour mixture and stir until just combined. It's okay if it's a little lumpy. Fold a third of the beaten egg whites into the batter until completely incorporated. Gently fold the remaining beaten egg whites into the batter until just combined, and there are no streaks of egg whites. Be gentle so that you do not deflate the egg whites too much.

5When your waffle maker is ready, working in batches, pour or spoon the batter into the wells, until they almost come to the edge. You will know if you've over-filled it because the batter will spill out of the waffle maker. No harm done, but it's a little messy. I like to grease the inside of my waffle maker with a little butter, to help make it easy to remove the waffles. Cook until the waffle maker indicator indicates that the waffles are ready, or wait until steam stops rising out of the waffle maker. Gently pull the waffles out with a fork.

As you make the batches, the batter may thicken while it sits. If you want, thin it out a bit with some water.

Getting the right balance of doneness is key here. Lightly browned means the waffles will be fluffy, but not crisp. Dark brown means the waffles may be crispy, but a little dry inside. It depends on your preference and your waffle maker. You may need to experiment with a few test waffles to see what works best for you.

Serve with pads of butter, warmed maple syrup, and fresh berries.