Though Indian Summer lingers and “October’s bright blue weather” is not only a poem but a reality, it is cool enough mornings and evenings for waffles. A waffle breakfast or supper is considered by the recipients of an invitation, a cozy, informal affair, and from the hostess’ point of view, it is an easy, inexpensive form of entertainment.
A platterful of link sausages, fried or broiled to a golden brown, and delicate slivers of crisp bacon surrounded by broiled orange slices, pineapple or apricot halves, plenty of coffee and good waffles is considered quite enough of a menu. A more elaborate menu may include broiled ham (and may I ask you what is more alluring than the very sound of the phrase ham and, waffles?) And if it is a supper, a fruit salad, kept mostly on the tart side, not too sweet, may be added.
The heartier smoked sausage may be substituted for the smaller sausages for a supper menu and there may be a mixed fruit grill of pineapple slices and bananas broiled, when man-sized appetites have to be considered.
Here are some recipes for old-fashioned waffles:
1. Chocolate waffles recipe
2 cups sifted flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons melted shortening
1-1/2 cups milk
1 square of melted chocolate
1 teaspoon maple extract
2 egg whites
Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Beat egg yolks, add milk and mix with dry ingredients. Add shortening, chocolate and extract. Beat well. Fold in egg whites stiffly beaten. Bake on hot waffle iron and serve with syrup.
2. Southern waffles recipe
1-1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sweet milk
4 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together twice. Separate eggs, beat egg whites until very light, and the yolks until thick. Add milk to egg yolks and stir in dry ingredients, beating well. Add the melted margarine. Mix well. Fold in beaten egg whites. Bake in hot waffle iron and serve with a generous supply of melted margarine or butter and syrup, fruit, jelly or marmalade.
3. Sour cream old-fashioned waffles
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 eggs, separated
2 cups heavy sour cream
Sift dry ingredients together. Combine well-beaten egg yolks and cream; add to dry mixture, beating until smooth. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Bake in hot iron. Makes five waffles.
4. Coffee waffles
2 cups pastry flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup strong freshly-made coffee
1/2 cup melted butter
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Add beaten egg yolks and coffee. Beat well until smooth. Add melted butter, beat egg whites until stiff and fold in last. Put three or four tablespoons of batter into center of hot waffle iron. Spread batter slightly and bake about two minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
ALSO SEE: Delicious waffles are a housewife’s pride (1914)
5. Corn waffles recipe
Sift together 1 cup white flour, 1 cup corn meal, 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1-2 teaspoon salt. Beat the yolks of three eggs until thick, add 1 1-4 cups milk and stir into the flour mixture. Beat until smooth and then stir in 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine and fold in the egg whites, stiffly beaten. Bake on hot iron.
6. Gingerbread waffles
1-1/2 cups sifted cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup pure molasses
1 cup sour milk
6 tablespoons melted shortening
Sift together dry ingredients; beat eggs light, add sugar, molasses, sour milk, and blend well; stir mixture into dry ingredients.
Molasses dessert sauce for gingerbread waffles
1 cup pure molasses
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
Combine ingredients in order given. Cook 15 minutes in saucepan, stirring constantly. Serve warm over plain or gingerbread waffles.
7. Cheese old-fashioned waffles recipe
2 cups sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 egg yolks, ell-beaten
1-1/4 cups milk
1 cup grated American cheese
5 tablespoons melted butter
3 egg whites stiffly-beaten
Sift flour once, measure, add baking powder and salt and sift again. Combine egg yolks and milk; add to flour, beating until smooth. Add butter and cheese. Fold in egg whites. Bake in hot waffle iron.
Makes five four-section waffles. This batter may also be baked on a hot, greased griddle.
8-plus: Ways to dress up plain old-fashioned waffles
A plain waffle recipe may be varied in the following ways:
Ham waffles: Sprinkle 2 tablespoons finely diced ham, cooked or uncooked, over batter of each waffle before closing the ll’Ol’l.
Nut waffles: Add 1-2 cup chopped nuts to batter or sprinkle over batter before closing the iron.
Coconut waffles: Add 1 cup shredded coconut to batter or sprinkle over batter before closing iron.
Lemon or orange waffles: Add 2 teaspoons grated lemon or orange rind to egg yolks and milk when making waffle recipe. Or use lemon or orange juice as a part of the liquid called for in mixing.
Waffles, with an orange sauce, custard sauce or marmalade may be correctly served as a luncheon or dinner dessert if you wish.
Orange waffle syrup recipe
An excellent orange syrup good with old-fashioned waffles is made as follows:
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons white corn syrup
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
Mix the sugar, orange juice, corn syrup and orange rind. Boil slowly for about 10 minutes or until the syrup is thick. Makes about two cups syrup.
Electric waffle irons which need no greasing after the initial “breaking in” are a joy to the family who likes hot breads (and who doesn’t?). They need only preheating each time before putting in the batter, and a thorough brushing out with a dry brush after using. With an electric iron waffles may be cooked right at the table and the “abs” and “abs” that are breathed excitedly each time the waffle lid is lifted are a normal part of the rite of waffle-making.
