The film Stranger Than Fiction may not rank up there with Casablanca or Dr. Zhivago as one of the most romantic movies ever made, but it boasts one of the sweetest scenes ever. When befuddled IRS auditor Harold Crick brings cute but acerbic baker Ana Pascal some flowers in an attempt to woo her... they aren't flowers, they're flours. Ten different kinds of flour. His gesture spoke in ways that he could never have put into words. It showed creativity, earnestness and depth of feeling. It was tender and it was sweet. And that my friends, is how you melt a girl's heart. In case you were wondering.
Now, I have dropped the odd hint to the Hubs about how great it would be to get "flours", but to no avail. I think he prefers to be original. So the other day, with waffles on my mind, I asked him stop at the store on the way home so I could pick up some flowers... er, flours that is. Rye flour, barley flour, whole wheat pastry flour, oat flour, graham flour... (the pastry flour and graham flour aren't for the waffles, I just kind of got carried away).
What could be more romantic than flours? Hearts! Today I tried out my new/used Sweet Hearts waffle maker and used my bunch of flours to make some multi-grain waffles. I mixed the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls and approached the waffle maker. At first I was disconcerted that there was no heat setting knob or dial to adjust. I looked online for manuals but came up empty. O.k., so sometimes you just have to jump without the net and hope for the best.
I plugged the unit in, figuring that the indicator light would go on or off maybe when it was ready to waffle. What I didn't expect was the incessant high pitched electronic chirping that shortly ensued. It sounded like a fire alarm for a bird house. I opened the top of it, turned on the stove vent and frantically waved a dishtowel at it. It made me nostalgic for our last rental house. Maybe nostalgic isn't the right word.
Time to quickly and gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and start waffling. I ladled it on, closed the lid, and tried not to hover. I watched the steam. I stopped myself repeatedly from peeking. Then it chirped again! (Less menacingly this time.) Could this be an indication that the waffle was ready for removal? Oh yeah. I got the waffle out mostly intact, and I was off and waffling. Oh, there was no stopping me. Soon the platter warming in the oven was full of waffle hearts. They were beautiful, but theirs was not merely a superficial beauty... as if!
In a single word, wonderful. In several words... tender, flavorful, delicious, and healthy! Gosh, even if they weren't so dang cute, I would love love love these waffles. After all, it's what's inside that really counts, and these waffles are full of nothing but good. There's very little sugar in them–only a tablespoon–and the least amount of butter of any waffle recipe I've come across so far.* I'm wondering if pancakes could be made out of this same batter? If you don't have a waffle maker, it might be worth a try.
This recipe was a great introduction into using different grain flours, and by shopping the bulk bins I could buy the exact amounts I needed. Buying them that way is actually pretty cheap, plus they're often also organic and (added bonus) you're not paying for marketing, advertising or packaging. Love that!
Wanna waffle around some more?...
Now, I have dropped the odd hint to the Hubs about how great it would be to get "flours", but to no avail. I think he prefers to be original. So the other day, with waffles on my mind, I asked him stop at the store on the way home so I could pick up some flowers... er, flours that is. Rye flour, barley flour, whole wheat pastry flour, oat flour, graham flour... (the pastry flour and graham flour aren't for the waffles, I just kind of got carried away).
What could be more romantic than flours? Hearts! Today I tried out my new/used Sweet Hearts waffle maker and used my bunch of flours to make some multi-grain waffles. I mixed the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls and approached the waffle maker. At first I was disconcerted that there was no heat setting knob or dial to adjust. I looked online for manuals but came up empty. O.k., so sometimes you just have to jump without the net and hope for the best.
I plugged the unit in, figuring that the indicator light would go on or off maybe when it was ready to waffle. What I didn't expect was the incessant high pitched electronic chirping that shortly ensued. It sounded like a fire alarm for a bird house. I opened the top of it, turned on the stove vent and frantically waved a dishtowel at it. It made me nostalgic for our last rental house. Maybe nostalgic isn't the right word.
Time to quickly and gently mix the wet ingredients into the dry, and start waffling. I ladled it on, closed the lid, and tried not to hover. I watched the steam. I stopped myself repeatedly from peeking. Then it chirped again! (Less menacingly this time.) Could this be an indication that the waffle was ready for removal? Oh yeah. I got the waffle out mostly intact, and I was off and waffling. Oh, there was no stopping me. Soon the platter warming in the oven was full of waffle hearts. They were beautiful, but theirs was not merely a superficial beauty... as if!
In a single word, wonderful. In several words... tender, flavorful, delicious, and healthy! Gosh, even if they weren't so dang cute, I would love love love these waffles. After all, it's what's inside that really counts, and these waffles are full of nothing but good. There's very little sugar in them–only a tablespoon–and the least amount of butter of any waffle recipe I've come across so far.* I'm wondering if pancakes could be made out of this same batter? If you don't have a waffle maker, it might be worth a try.
This recipe was a great introduction into using different grain flours, and by shopping the bulk bins I could buy the exact amounts I needed. Buying them that way is actually pretty cheap, plus they're often also organic and (added bonus) you're not paying for marketing, advertising or packaging. Love that!
Wanna waffle around some more?...
- Sour Cream Waffles at 101 Cookbooks
- Interested in a vintage waffle maker?
- Want to waffle a falafel? Check out The Waffleizer ...he will waffle almost anything!
- Make Waffle Cookies over at King Arthur Flour
0 COMMENTS:
Post a Comment
Take a moment to say "Howdy!"... I'd love to hear from you!