Gluten-free buckwheat waffles

The wonderful world of waffles made an entry into my life by sheer serendipity. A sandwich maker I bought a decade ago came with waffle plates. Until then, I had never eaten a waffle. Sheer curiosity and my need to experiment made me embark on an amazing journey and now my little family of three LOVES waffles! We could have them breakfast, lunch, dinner and maybe for even snack in between.

So what is a waffle? To put it simply, it is leavened batter cooked on hot plates, with a characteristic chequered pattern (seen in the above plates). They are crisp on the outside, light and airy inside. In Europe waffles are usually leavened with yeast, whereas the American ones are made using baking powder.

Now if you were to look up a recipe for waffles, it is quite likely you will find one made using all purpose flour. While they taste great, all purpose flour is highly processed, stripping it of all its fiber and nutrition. We do end up eating a lot of food that is highly processed when we eat out or even snack at home. Hence it is important to make a conscious move towards healthy ingredients when we can.

What are the alternate options? I have made waffles using oat, barley and buckwheat flours. They’ve all yielded great results, every time! Secondly, incorporate local ingredients. Gula melaka (local palm sugar) can be used instead of regular white sugar. Gula melaka is a more wholesome sugar, as it is not bleached like white sugar. Coconut oil can be used in place of butter. These ingredients are freely available and don’t cost an arm and a leg.

Beow is a recipe for buckwheat waffles. Buckwheat is a seed from a plant related to rhubarb. Buckwheat flour is commonly used in Asia, and is considered a super food. It is rich in fiber, high in protein and gluten free. Plus, it lends a lovely nutty flavor to these waffles. However, as it is ‘warming’ (or what the Chinese refer to as ‘heaty’) it is best had in cool climates. So here in Malaysia, it should be balanced out with something cooling, like yogurt or kefir.

If you don’t have a waffle maker, this recipe can be also used to make pancakes on a griddle.

The recipe is adapted from here.

BUCKWHEAT WAFFLES (yields 4-5 waffles)

Ingredients
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 tablespoon gula melaka
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 and 1/4 cup buttermilk (or full cream milk with 1.5 tbsp vinegar added to it)
4 tbsp coconut oil
1 large egg

Method
1. Mix all the dry ingredients.
2. Mix all the wet ingredients.
3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients. Do not over mix, just until all ingredients are incorporated.
4. Turn on the waffle maker to pre-heat.
6. Let the batter rest for around 8-10 minutes while the waffle maker is heating.
5. Cook until the waffles are crisp. Keep an eye on the waffles, as the time can vary with different waffle makers. I have a Kenwood one and it takes around 12 minutes for them to get ready.

Serve with honey, maple syrup or whatever it is that makes you happy!

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