Vanilla Angel Waffles
My ideal breakfast waffle has a thin crisp exterior embracing a fluffy center, with just enough sweetness and flavor to make them enjoyable plain, but no so imposing that the distract from any accompaniments. In reality, many waffles are dense and heavy, weighed down by too much butter. Admittedly, there are fans of the butter-laden variety, with the brioche-based Liege waffle being perhaps the ultimate example. There is a place, however, for a airier variety that won’t weigh you down for the rest of the day. I was a failure at making any sort vaguely memorable waffles for many years until a few breakthroughs helped me make progress.
The first was discovering yeasted waffles, which improved the texture and added greater depth of flavor (albeit at the cost of requiring enough planning to prepare the batter the night before). The second was finding a good waffle maker, specifically the Breviile Smart Waffle Pro 4 Slice. People may tell you that the waffle maker doesn’t matter that much, that any decent waffle maker will do; those people are wrong. I was amazed at how much difference the Breville made even over other well-rated machines. It’s still important to have a good recipe, to cook for the appropriate amount of time, and to avoid over-filling the machine, but the Breville can achieve heights that no other maker I’ve tried has been able to. The third breaktrhough was discovering Stella Parks’ Vanilla Buttermilk Waffles. Perhaps it should have been no surprise; Stella is a widely-respect culinary genius whose renowned bagel recipe served as the inspiration for the bagels I still make today. However, sometimes Stella’s recipe are a bit rich and heavy on the butter for my tastes. This recipe was different. It had less than half the butter of most other recipes, and eschewed whole eggs for egg whites. Relying on baking soda and baking powder (along with egg whites) for lift, it could be made in the morning with no need for advance planning, yet was still flavorful from a generous amount of vanilla and buttermilk.
I wondered if I could tweak it further, closer to my crisp airy ideal of a waffle. Angel food cakes achieve a light and fluffy texture through several means: relatively low-protein flour (cake flour), whipped eggwhites, and the avoidance of added butter or oil. I was already using the Gold Medal’s bleached all-purpose flour, and cake flour would lack the strength for a waffle. Stella’s recipe called for only 3 tablespoons of butter - what if I left this out entirely? Could I lighten up the waffles further by whipping the egg whites? And increasing the number from 2 to 3?
The answer was yes.. The result is what I call the Vanilla Angel Waffle, given the inspiration from angel food cake. If your idea of a waffle requires a buttery, rich delicacy closer to a croissant, then these are probably not the waffles for you. On the other hand, if a lighter, crispy waffle piques your curiousity, give these a try. Note that these are not “healthy” waffles or some scaled-back “low fat” version designed to make you feel better about yourself. The recipe is designed to achieve a specific texture and taste, and I believe they have done that.
Ingredients
185 g all-purpose flour (preferably Gold Medal bleached)
45 g powdered sugar
1/2 tsp Diamond Kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (optional)
415 g buttermilk (I use Kate’s)
5 g vanilla extract
3 egg whites
Directions
Preheat the waffle maker and turn an oven to 225 °F (to keep waffles warm, if needed),
Sift all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together into a large bowl. Add in the vanilla bean seeds and whisk to combine.
Add the buttermilk and vanilla extract and whisk thoroughly to combine. There’s no need to be overly cautious about overmixing like with pancake batter.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, then fold into the batter with a rubber spatula, being sure not to leave clumps of unincorporated egg white. Prepare as directed with your waffle maker. With the Breville, I use the medium darkness setting, buttermilk mode, and enough batter so that it covers each square with some coaxing.
Serve fresh, or keep in the oven on a wire rack set over a baking sheet until ready to eat. It can help to flip the waffles after a few minutes to ensure both sides remain crispy.
These waffles freeze wonderfully and can be microwaved (for soft, easy to eat waffles) or toasted for a crispier result. Sometimes toasting frozen waffles can result in them drying out or becoming too dark. Options include undercooking the waffles destined for the freezer, microwaving briefly before toasting, or thawing prior to toasting.
