Another Monday morning after another busy weekend. I was sitting at the table drinking my tea, enjoying a quiet moment, and wishing for a very long and extended quiet moment – like about 3 or 4 hours long or so. I heard the first sounds of children waking; the movement in the upstairs bedroom, the sound the curtain rings make on the rod when the curtains are flung open to greet the morning sun, the falls of footsteps on the stairs, and the turning on of the Christmas lights. I love these sounds, truly, but I also know that it’s my alarm to get the day going, and this morning I just didn’t want to do much of anything.
My youngest bid me good morning with our routine hugs and “how did you sleep?”, he grabbed the dogs’ bowls to feed them breakfast (I never have to remind him, I love this), and then he began opening refrigerator and pantry doors to forage his own meal. Apparently nothing on hand was appealing and he sat across from me at the table, told me he really wasn’t ready to start the day (school work), and asked me if I’d make waffles for breakfast.
My children are of an age that they’re pretty independent when it comes to finding breakfast and lunch. But there are some things that they don’t make on their own yet, especially my youngest. And one of those things is waffles. My first response was no. No, I didn’t want to start my day either. No, I don’t want to pull out the ingredients. No, I don’t want to mix and measure. So, no, I told him. I don’t want to make waffles, can’t he find something easier?
And then my heart said yes. It’s really not that hard to mix the batter. Everything we need is in the refrigerator or in the pantry. The waffle maker is electric and all I have to do is plug it in. Making waffles isn’t any bit harder than pancakes, or eggs, or smoothies, or oatmeal, and while it is a few more steps (and dishes) than pouring a bowl of cereal, homemade waffles is so much healthier and warming.
So, yes. I made waffles this morning. And the funny thing is that making them was just the quiet start to the day that I needed. Using my favorite old bowl, beating the eggs we get from our local farmer, measuring out the gluten free flour we get from a local market, watching as the steam rises from the waffle iron as the batter cooks, pouring Maine maple syrup over them – this is what my tired body needed to get going and I didn’t even know it.
Recipe adapted from The King Arthur Flour Baker’s Companion Cookbook.
Gluten Free, Dairy Free Waffles
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. dairy free milk (we use rice milk or soy)
5 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (we use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour)
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 Tbsp. sugar (this is rather optional. Sometimes I forget to put it in and they still taste fine.)
Beat the eggs, milk and oil together. Whisk the dry ingredients together. Gently and quickly mix the dry ingredients into the egg and milk mixture. Let the batter relax while the waffle iron is heating. The batter will thicken slightly.
Ladle the batter into the waffle iron following your manufacturer’s directions. I use a little over 1/4 cup batter per waffle, but yours may be different.
This recipe makes about 4-6 belgian style waffles depending on how much batter you use. I always double the recipe on a weekday morning. I triple or quadruple it on weekends when everyone is home.