Waffle Irons Aren't Just for Christmas

I finally did it!  I got a waffle iron.  For the last ten years living in the UK I have really missed waffles.  (You can buy some sweetened, Belgian style waffles in the grocery stores here, but they are nothing like American waffles).  So I have been toying with the idea of making my own for a while now and I have been fighting my tendency to avoid having too many appliances in the house.  But along with my breadmaker and ice cream maker, my waffle iron---in the space of a week--has become a valued member of the clan.

I chose an Andrew James waffle iron off of amazon.co.uk both because of the good reviews and the cheap price tag.  I was expecting American style waffles because some reviewers complained they were too thin.  But these waffles are thinner than American ones and thicker than pizelles or waflle cones.  The iron makes two at a time.  Each waffle is made up of six hearts which make a flower shaped waffle.  Fun, really.

My son proclaimed that he likes waffles more than pancakes!  And tonight I have made a double batch to stick in the fridge and freezer so I have them available to heat up for the next few mornings.  I am tired, but glad to know that I have a quick and healthy breakfast for all of us.  Add some more protein and we are away!

Okay, I haven't done the soaked waffles yet.  I looked at the recipe in a sleepy haze last night.  Not that they are really complicated...but the recipe says to separate the eggs and whip some whites separately,and all of that is a weekend kind of job...

I did, however, spice things up a bit.  So, I used light brown flour---this is similar to chapati flour and is a bit lighter than whole wheat.  As it happens this looks a lot like the flour that mamas in Tanzania grind themselves.  After grinding and sieving, they throw much of the bran to the chickens since humans don't digest it well! 

After making up about half of the waffles, I added some freshly ground anise to the batter.  Yum.

Soaked Pancakes

This is my first attempt at soaking flour (if you don't count my disastrous first attempts at making a sourdough starter). 

You will need:

2 cups whole wheat, spelt or kamut flour (preferably freshly ground--mine wasn't)
2 cups yoghurt, kefir, buttermilk, (or water mixed with 2 tbsp whey, vinegar, or lemon juice)--I used organic yoghurt

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp sea salt (preferably unrefined)
1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
2 tbsp melted butter


1.  On the first day, stir the flour with your chosen soaking liquid in a large bowl.  Place this in a warm place for 12-24 hours.  (I used plastic wrap over it and placed it in a warm kitchen for about 18 hours). 

2.  When you are ready to cook, mix the rest of the ingredients in.  You can thin the mix with water if necessary.  Cook in a hot frying pan.  Serve with maple syrup, butter and or jam.

My son and I make pancakes most weekends and so he was very excited to hear that we were having them this morning.  That is until he was given the bowl of soaked flour, which had become a bit smelly according to him.  He was no longer enthusiastic and asked if we could make regular pancakes instead.  I told him we could after we finish this batch.  He did help with some of the stirring despite his misgivings. 

Fortunately, he enjoyed the finished pancakes which had a bit more flavour than our usual plain recipe.  We actually add spices most of the time and I might try that next time.  I think the only disadvantages I can think of are the expense of the yoghurt and having to remember to prepare the flour the day before (which isn't arduous).  I plan to use buttermilk leftover from our butter-making when I get around to the butter-making.  Otherwise, water with a bit of vinegar seems a really cheap alternative to organic yoghurt, or when we have run out.

French Toast

French Toast is a very popular breakfast food in the United States.  Some folks in the UK like this dish which they call Eggy Bread.  Eggy Bread is usually savoury, seasoned with salt and pepper.  French Toast is spiced with cinnamon.  I prefer to use nutmeg.

It is best to use older bread for this dish.  Any bread will do.  Any milk will do as well.  I lived off of this during my university years.  It was Ezekiel bread and soy milk in those days!

You will need:

Two slices of bread per person
1 egg for 3-5 slices, 2 eggs for more
Half a mug of milk, or more as needed
Pinch of nutmeg (or cinnamon or pepper)

To serve:  maple syrup and butter, or cinnamon sugar, or jam

1. Break the egg(s) into a shallow dish, such as a pie pan.  Beat well.
2. Add milk, spice and mix well.
3. Soak each slice of bread in egg mixture.
4. Fry in a non-stick pan over medium heat.  Or fry in oil/butter if you prefer.
5. The toast should be browned slightly on each side and cooked through.
6. Serve warm.

Hints:  This is a great recipe for almost stale bread.  If I have too much bread I make extras and pop in the fridge for the next morning too.  A great time saver!  They also freeze well.  For a variation, serve a fried egg on top instead of syrup.

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Next time you find a great deal on bananas you can slice them up and freeze them for this drink.

I tend to "wing it" with smoothies.  I pop some fruit in and then add enough yoghurt or other liquid to reach the consistency I like on the day.   So these amounts are approximate.

Two small bananas or one large one, sliced and frozen
Milk (cow, soy, whatever)--start with a cup and add as needed
One Tablespoon smooth peanut butter (preferably natural)

1. Pop all of these in a blender. 
2. Blend until smooth, adding more liquid if necessary
3. Drink

Ode to Cinnamon Toast

I have now created a bowl just for cinnamon sugar because I love cinnamon toast so much!  During this pregnancy I think it has become my cold weather comfort food---with a cup of tea!  Please don't tell me off for having sugar or butter or bread or any of these things which are supposed to be so bad for us these days.  It is dangerous to argue with a pregnant woman!  How can such a lovely, yummy, scrummy thing cause me any harm?

I also love cinnamon sugar on pancakes with some butter, or put in the coffee filter (though I have gone off coffee while pregnant).

Spicy Pancakes

We love pancakes for breakfast and have them most Sundays.  Here in the UK thin, crepe style pancakes are popular.  I grew up having the traditional thicker, American pancakes.  I actually prefer the thinner version, but we make a variety.  Sometimes it just depends on my 4 year old and how much flour he puts in.  We eyeball the amounts because we do it a lot.

I love pancakes with lemon juice and sugar.  My son prefers a fake maple syrup called Mrs. Butterworths which I picked up in a shop which sells American stuff.  A while ago I decided to stir things up a bit so we started adding spices.

I use a great new pan I bought at Lakeland which has a granite like surface.  You don't need any oil, but I now put some in the batter.  No one is allowed to use this pan for anything else.  I was really tired of finding my pancake pan smelling like onions or spicy fried fish.  So this one is strictly off limits!

Pancake batter:

Makes 4-6 depending on size

Take one large mug of flour
the same mug of milk
an egg
pinch of salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cardamon
2 teaspoons of oil

Stir well to remove lumps.  Fry in a non-stick pan.  Use a bit of oil if necessary to prevent sticking.

Use self-rising flour if you prefer thicker, fluffier pancakes.  If you prefer thinner ones, add more milk.  I sometimes adjust the batter after my first pancake depending on what I want on the day.  The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

Maandazi

My Swahili dictionary tells me that Maandazi means "confectionary," but they really resemble donuts or Italian zeppole. They are fried balls of dough which are then eaten plain or doused in sugar.

They are sold on the streets in Tanzania every morning.  There are probably as many variations as women in East Africa.  I have heard of coconut versions and you can use a variety of spices or leave them plain.  Some people make the dough with yeast and some are are a more simple egg and flour mix.  I have included two recipes here.

For a time we ate these about once a week, but when I returned to work I found that they were a bit too time consuming to fit in.  We try to have them on special occasions now.  Bring your appetite because they do not keep well.

Maandazi #1

Makes 8

8 oz flour
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon easy blend yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or mix of ground cardamom and cinnamon
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 oz warm water

oil for frying

By Hand
Mix all dry ingredients well and add wet ingredients until dough forms.  Knead well.  Place in a bowl and let rise for an hour.  Knead out briefly and cut into 8 pieces.  They can be balls, squares or diamonds.  Squash them a bit with your hand.  Let rise again for 30 minutes.  Fry in deep or shallow oil based on your preference. The oil should be hot and bubbling, but not spitting.  They are ready when they are as brown as an onion skin.

Drain on paper towel.  And then, if desired pop into a bag or plastic box with lid with sugar.  Give it a good shake.  I sometimes add some cinnamon to the sugar on special occasions.  Serve warm.  They lose their vitality after a few hours.  Serve with strong coffee or chai (see recipe for chai under Drinks).

By Breadmaker
I actually pop everything in the breadmaker and set it to dough.  Then take out the dough, knead, divide, let rise and fry as above.  The beauty of this is that since you need to let it rise for an hour, you can set the breadmaker to do all of the work while you are still in bed.  Then get up, roll out 8 balls, and let them rise as I make chai and fruit salad.



Maandazi #
This recipe is taken from the book, "Best of Regional African Cooking," by Harva Hachten

Makes 2 dozen

1 cup flour
1 1/4 teaspoons powder
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch of salt
1 egg
1/4 cup water
oil

Sift flour and powder together.  Add sugar and salt.  Stir in egg and water to form dough.  You can add more water if you need to.  Knead dough until smooth and let rise for 30 minutes covered by a towel.  Cut into squares.  Fry in shallow or deep oil until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with sugar if desired.



Frugal tip:

If you choose to fry in deep oil you can save the oil and use it 3 times.  I always use an empty oil bottle and label it.  My house rule is that if it is used for fish then it needs to be discarded.  We don't deep fry anything besides maandazi in our house, but just occasionally someone will come along and do this.  And maandazi fried in fish oil is not very nice for breakfast.