WINTER LOVE PART 5: GLUTEN FREE NORWEGIAN VAFLER (WAFFLES)
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Part 5 of the Winter Love series is a chance to offer a resource for the gluten-free folks in the room. I love waffles so much that I don't want anyone to miss out!
RECIPE
3 eggs
1/3 c sugar
3 c gluten free flour
2 c whole milk
3/4 c sour cream
1 1/3 stick butter (melted)
syrup, jam, butter, creme fraiche, brown cheese for serving
TOOLS
Norwegian Waffle Maker
Mixing Bowl
Beater or Whisk
Fork
Plate for cooling
Dish Towel
Makes 4 waffles
Waffles have a long history in Scandinavia and hold a special place in the hearts of individuals with Scandinavian roots no matter where they live in the world. Waffles are so important that they actually have a day of celebration all their own!
Waffle Day is on March 25th and originated in Sweden as a way to celebrate Annunciation Day. Annunciation Day is when the Virgin Mary received word that she was pregnant from Angel Gabriel. This of course was the baby Jesus Christ who was born on Christmas nine months later. Waffles were used to celebrate this special day out of practicality and timing. As hens began to lay eggs again it made sense to use them to make this special treat.
Other countries began to celebrate Waffle Day as well with Norway beginning to participate in the last couple decades. Celebrate Waffle Day too by making this recipe or the Norwegian Waffle Recipe (with gluten) here!
PREPERATION
Beat eggs and sugar until light and fluffy
Add wet and dry ingredients alternating between one wet and one dry mixing slightly between each one, but leave butter until step 4.
Beat around 3 minutes to make a smooth batter.
Melt butter and beat slowly into the batter.
Let the batter rest for approximately 15 minutes before cooking.
Heat waffle maker to very hot before adding batter. You may lightly brush the waffle maker with butter before cooking, but if you do, only apply a very small amount as the batter has lots of butter already. If you apply too much butter, the first waffle may be a throwaway if it never gets crisp.
Take approximately 1/3 c of batter per waffle and pour into the maker. Use a fork to help spread the batter around to fill the shape a little. This must be done quickly because the bottom of the waffle is already cooking and hardening in some areas.
Cook until the waffle is light brown and crisp.
Stack on a plate and cover with a cotton dish towel until served to help keep moisture and heat in.
SERVING
Oh goodness! There are so many great ways to serve these Norwegian waffles! The basics are to serve them warm, but they are quite delicious cold as well and can be packed for camping or hiking trips. My favorite ways to enjoy them are with raspberry or strawberry jam on top of homemade crème fraiche. Mmm I am craving them right now!
STORAGE
The nice thing about this batter is that it can be made ahead of time. The batter can be stored in a refrigerator for 4-5 days, but it can also be frozen for a much longer period of time. So far I haven't run into issues with the batter going bad because we always eat them up really quickly!
TIPS
I like to make the waffler batter ahead of time and just keep in the fridge. That way I can eat freshly cooked waffles at any time the mood strikes.
If you apply butter to the waffle maker before cooking any waffles, apply the butter, let it melt than lightly blot with a towel to remove any large drops of butter. This part takes practice because too much butter can easily make your waffle too oily to eat and never make a crispy waffle. If you discover that your first waffle is not crisping, remove the waffle and blot the maker with a towel a little more.
Place waffle maker on a towel, paper towels, or plate for easy clean up. Excess butter will drip out of the iron.
When cooking the waffles, close the waffle maker and hold shut with your hand. I find this helps spread the batter to fill the full shape.
Give the waffle about 1 minute before checking otherwise you will risk ruining the waffle if the middle isn't cooked yet.
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