Whole-Grain Buttermilk Waffles
Light and crispy whole-grain buttermilk waffles are entirely possible thanks to this amazing recipe. Made with 100% whole-grain flour of your choice (spelt, kamut, hard or soft white wheat or even gluten free oat flour made from ground oat groats).
Ingredients
- 2 cups (10 ounces) whole-grain flour see note
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder see note
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 ¼ cups buttermilk
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
-
Preheat waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.
-
Combine whole-wheat flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until mixed and then set aside.
-
In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs until fluffy. Then add buttermilk, canola oil, and vanilla and mix slightly.
-
Pour egg/buttermilk mixture over flour mixture. With a large whisk, quickly beat the mixture in 5-10 large strokes all at once or until batter is mixed. Very important: do not overmix and once the batter is mixed, do not mix again!
-
Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes. This will allow the baking powder to react and the batter to rise. REMEMBER do not mix it again or you will flatten all that air and end up with tough waffles.
-
Gently scoop batter onto preheated waffle iron. The instruction manual that came with your waffle iron should tell you how much to use. For my 8-inch waffle iron I use about ⅔ cup.
-
Serve immediately or keep warm in a 175 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes. Or see recipe notes for freezing instructions.
Recipe Notes
1. The handy thing about this recipe is that it works for different types of whole-grain flour (including gluten free). I've made these waffles with freshly ground kamut flour, soft white wheat flour, hard white wheat flour, oat flour (gluten free that was ground from oat groats), and spelt flour, and combinations of all of those. All the waffles (no matter the type of grain I used) came out light and tender with wonderful flavor and each type of flour had a slightly different flavor. Feel free to experiment with other types of whole-grain flour as you wish, keeping in mind that freshly ground flour is always your best option for nutrition as well as flavor.
2. If you don't have a grain mill and still want to try the recipe, they do sell some good whole-grain flours you can buy: Bob's Red Mill kamut flour (aff. link) or Bob's Red Mill spelt flour (aff. link). And of course there is always wheat flour. If you try wheat I highly recommend going with white wheat flour. It is much less dense than red wheat flour and I prefer to use it in most of my baking. You can usually find the hard white wheat flour in the baking aisle, just make sure it specifies hard white wheat otherwise it's probably ground from red wheat.
3. I've found that the brand of baking powder does matter in waffles. I always use the Rumford brand of baking powder (aff. link) that is aluminum free. It makes the waffles nice and light.
4. I know I've said it twice in this recipe, but it deserves a third time, trust me! Make sure that once you mix it the batter, you let it rest (resist that urge to stir it again--I know you want to). Then when it's time to scoop the batter onto the waffle iron, be careful not to smash all the nice air pockets. That will ensure that your waffles are nice and fluffy.
5. These waffles freeze great. We almost always make a double or triple batch so we have some frozen ones for easy breakfasts during the week. To freeze wait until the waffles are completely cool. Then line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place waffles on the paper in a single layer. Place baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes or until waffles are most of the way frozen through. Then remove waffles from the parchment paper and place in gallon freeze bags and freeze up to a month (or probably longer). We usually reheat them in a microwave or toaster (if you want them a little crisper) until they are warmed through.