Just when I was really quite sure that I had all the kitchen appliances and gadgets one could possibly need, a conversation one recent Wednesday morning made me decide otherwise. Nancy, who is a Bostonian, spoke rather beautifully about her family tradition of alternating between pancakes and waffles on Sunday mornings. She had me craving a delicious waffle, along with the machine to make them, right there on the spot.
Mmmm, then Heston Blumenthal went ahead and put the final nail in the coffin with his convincing, promotional video for Breville’s quite innovative ‘moat-surrounded’ Waffle Machine. Within minutes (well, perhaps an hour or two…) I was off to the local shops to pick up my very own.
The recipe to follow is for our favourite Waffle Batter so far (surprisingly, courtesy of the company who made the machine) – it has served us well in the brief time we’ve been using it and is one that I’ve returned to rather promptly after a massive failure from a French Cookbook which created a monster mélange of a Choux Pastry/Waffle Puff! Scary and somewhat undercooked within. Never mind… happy to take the failures with the successes at this point.
Classic Waffles
Ingredients
- 300g (2 cups) Self Raising Flour
- 60g (¼ Cup) Raw Caster Sugar
- Pinch of Salt
- 430mls (1¾ Cups) Whole Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Free-Range Eggs
- 125g (½ Cup) Unsalted Butter (melted and cooled slightly)
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine the self-raising flour, sugar and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vanilla extract and eggs until well combined. Slowly trickle in the warm melted butter, continuing to whisk all the while as you do.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until you have a smooth batter.
This mixture may be used immediately in a waffle machine.
Topping Suggestions:
- A simple sprinkling of icing (powdered) sugar
- A drizzle of maple syrup, chopped strawberries, blueberries and freshly whipped cream
- Warm Chocolate Sauce and vanilla ice cream
- Apple or pear compote with double cream
- Sliced banana, warm caramel sauce, chopped nuts and ice cream
* Recipe very slightly adapted from the online Breville E-Cookbook – ‘The Sticky Waffle Book’
Gather & Graze 
It looks very good! I have just started my blog with a dessert! I still have much to do! 🙂
Thank you very much. A dessert is always a good place to start, in my opinion. Cheers!
Waffles are a total treat to me, we used to have them every weekend in summer with how cherry compote and mountains of billowy whipped cream on Sunday afternoon. Looking at your picture, I think I can even smell them. Margot, thanks for a lovely reminder of those afternoons and now, I’ll get the waffle iron out of the cupboard! Nicole
What a beautiful comment Nicole, thank you so much and a very warm welcome to Gather and Graze. I’ll look forward to our upcoming cherry season to try out your suggestion – it sounds wonderful! Thanks, Margot
Margot,
Your waffles are simply perfect! Fluffy and tempting. Exactly the way any waffle should be! 😍 I don’t think I will be going to buy a waffle maker in the short run though! I have too many appliances that I never use in my kitchen and Stefano complaints all the times that I’m a big spender. Moi? 😜
So I don’t think you have much of a choice: if I ever put my designer shoe wrapped foot in your wondeful country, you’ll have to make some of your gorgeous waffles for me! 😜
Oh Francesca, when you set foot in Australia, you can forget about the waffles… it will be Champagne (well, perhaps a good Australian sparkling would be appropriate) and Caviar! I really do look forward to that day! 🙂 Thanks for your ever kind comments. M.xx
Wow this looks great. …. yumm…
🙂 Thanks Chitra!
A waffle-maker is one appliance I don’t have in my kitchen and now you’ve got me wanting one 😀 Your waffles look delicious!
Thanks Naina – they really are incredibly delicious! 🙂
The waffle machine is on top of my wish-list a long time ago, but my husband thinks that having that machine at home can be a problem, in terms of calories, of course. But know I can use the excuse of the breastfeeding mum who needs sweet treats to face the long day… your pictures made my mouth watering!!!!
The temptation is huge, having the machine in the house, but the mixture is very much the same as the one I use for pancakes… so having them once a fortnight or even once a week is okay. Everything in moderation… and they’re so lovely topped with some fresh fruit and yoghurt as well! I hope you and your little one are doing beautifully Margherita – such a magical time, getting to know the new little person in your life. Sending you lots of hugs!
I bought the machine… I’m sure even the little one will appreciate the purchase in the next future!
😀 Oh Margherita, how exciting to hear this! I know for sure your little one (perhaps in a couple of year’s time… 😉 ) will thank you over and over for this new acquisition! Happy waffle making!
I think I could count on one hand the number of times i’ve eaten waffles, they sound fairly simple to make if you have the right equipment. They look delicious Margot!
Thanks Sandra! That’s the only trouble with waffles… you have to have the right equipment, otherwise this recipe/post is really just something of a tease. :o/ Hope you’re having a lovely weekend!
I think that photo could convert me! We were clearing out a shed of an aged relative recently and found a waffle iron, which we tossed on the scrap heap. Maybe I should go back and find it – or possibly just buy a shiny clean new machine.
🙂 They’ve certainly converted me, Anne! Even though the batter is quite similar to pancakes, the taste and texture is so different. No regrets on our shiny new machine so far!
Absolutely gorgeous looking and delectable waffle. I don’t eat breakfast… except indulging when I travel. If the restaurant has it, I will definitely order a warm, fluffy and crispy Belgian waffle with the works. I love to have as many gadgets as I can get, but small, kitchen and no space.
Thanks so much dear Fae! That’s interesting to know… often there are mornings where I just don’t feel like having breakfast, but almost feel guilty if I don’t, due to the overwhelming opinions out there that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Sometimes though I find myself wondering if all the research to support that theory was funded by the likes of Kelloggs! As I get older, I think that it’s more important to listen to what my body is telling me – to eat when I’m actually hungry and not be guided by social rules.
“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” ~Adelle Davis, Nutritionist
Unfortunately, not eating breakfast has become a nature to my system. Maybe ‘brunch’ was invented by people like me. 🙂 Adelle’s quote on dinner is right on. The older we get, the harder it is to digest food at night. Then, breakfast becomes energy source in the morning. I guess. 🙂
Margot, I love these Waffles, they look so fluffy and delicious. Another beautiful recipe. When I was young I loved to eat them in winter time when I was living in Paris; they were hot and warmed my hands, un régal. Have a wonderful weekend! xx
Oh yes! Treats like this go hand in hand with winter in Paris, Linda! For me, when I lived in Gap, I could never go past a Crepe (almost always Sucre Beurre) or a Croque Monsieur from the little take-away stall on the street! Brings back such fond memories! 🙂
Love waffles! And I have 2 waffle makers to prove it, haha… Your waffles look so fluffy and just so perfect!
Thanks dear Angie! Why has it taken me this long to find out how GOOD waffles can be!? 😉
Was Heston Blumenthal promoting a waffle maker? I suppose he has to pay for his air fare. These do sound tempting. Anything crispy on the outside gets me. Actually, I used to buy frozen potato waffles when I couldn’t be bothered to cook. Okay, not quite the same thing. Tasty though. BTW, (maybe it’s being nosy) but are you actually left-handed? Can’t say I’ve ever noticed before.
He was indeed Johnny! It seems he’s sold his soul to Sage Appliances (UK?) and Breville to promote a number of their electrical appliances. 😉 Somewhat surprising, I agree!
Hah… good pick up on the left-handed whisking action! If truth be told, I was actually just too lazy to set up the tripod… and it’s impossible to take photos using the left hand, due to the shutter being on the right. Ahh, the staged shots of food photography – never quite the reality are they!? 🙂
But my table settings are all real! Ah, if only. My kitchen is north-facing so it’s difficult to grab any photos even with using both hands on camera. And there just isn’t the space for a tripod and me.
Out of all of them HB is probably the only one that could influence me. I reckon he would be curious enough to try them out. In fact, I’m now curious as to what he is endorsing. 🙂 Darn!
😀 Through the Sage website, there appeared to be a link to their youtube channel, Sage TV, with HB endorsing a number of their appliances. I’ve only watched the waffle one, but was sold immediately, with Heston’s scientific logic and somewhat lovely voice washing over me. 😉 Ahhh, so easily persuaded!
Such a simple and delicious recipe Lady! Saving it! My girls love waffles. Will make these soon!❤️
Thank you Sonal! 🙂
Also great with banana and nutella, possibly with whipped cream… I had these as a child when on holiday in France. Gaufres they are called there.
I can imagine how good that combination would be – we often use those toppings on our pancakes too! Rather appropriately, my husband was in Brussels at the same time as I made the decision to buy this appliance. Just might have been a tad envious of him having Belgian Waffles, Beer and Chocolate… oh and a pot/plate full of Moules-Frites! 😉
Haven’t made waffles in quite some time. I think I’ll dust off the waffle maker tomorrow! Breville really puts out a nice product. I have the toaster and my good friend has their blender. I’m using the same ole’ waffle maker that was given to us as a wedding gift. It makes cute little heart shaped waffles, however, they are a bit too flat for my liking. I’ll definitely mix your recipe Margot. Great to see your post this morning. 🙂
Waffles are something of a revelation for me Seana, having not grown up with them and only really discovering how good they are now! Love the sound of your sweet little heart-shaped waffle machine – a nice way to start the day, offering up hearts to those you love! 🙂 This rather over the top Breville machine that I’ve bought keeps mess to a minimum (which will keep me sane) and serves up 4 waffles at once, so that (unlike pancakes) we can all sit and enjoy breakfast together. Hope you have a lovely weekend!
I love waffles Margot, more than pancakes and yours look so light and delicious. Definitely trying this recipe. I like to make them and freeze them so I always have on hand.
Ahh, I think I might be a convert Suzanne! I’ve always adored pancakes on a Sunday morning, but these are just so beautifully crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. I think the pancakes will be shelved at least for the next few weeks! 😉 Oh and I’d love to know your advice on how you re-heat them after freezing? Sounds like a great tip.
Oh you are tempting me again! Looks yummy.
Thanks Joan – they’re so totally tempting! Looking forward to breakfast in the morning… can’t even wait for Sunday, they’re THAT good. 😉