Malted Waffles

Wow, what a morning. I went to sleep last night slightly anxious: would the Supreme Court continue its conservative streak, this week, and uphold DOMA? Would Prop 8 remain in place? Then, at 6 AM, I woke up and checked my phone, going straight to Twitter to see if there were any relevant updates. There weren't, so back to sleep I went. Then at 7:30 I woke up and same thing. Maybe it was around 8 that the news began to trickle in: DOMA had been overturned. I switched to Facebook and so many of my friends were ecstatic with the news. My friend Lauren, who I lived with in law school and who had the same family law professor I did, wrote this: "Around 10 yrs ago, my Family Law professor (an orthodox rabbi) confidently said to my face that he believed within 10 yrs time there would be an amendment to the U.S. Constitution banning same sex marriage. The smile on my face right now is dedicated to him. Law students: don't believe everything they tell you."

So, in this festive atmosphere, it's time to break out the waffle maker. We're going to make waffles but not just any waffles; we're going to make Malted Waffles from Baked Explorations. First, we have to buy some Malt Powder.

Got it? Now you mix that up with flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. The malt powder is what makes these waffles Malted Waffles, but more on that in a bit.

Now melt some butter...

And mix that together with buttermilk and eggs. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Nice work!

Ok, let's heat our waffle maker. The light on mine goes from red to green when it's ready and, as soon as it is, I spray it all over inside with PAM. Then I scoop in that waffle batter, about 1/2 a cup, and press down hoping it splooges out the sides. That means I'm going to get a nice-sized waffle.

And behold!

A malted waffle. Serve it up with maple syrup and go to town.

So what do they taste like? Well, you don't taste the malt powder as a distinct flavor, but somehow it aids in the depth of flavor you get from the waffle as a whole. Also, the recipe tells you to make the waffle dark and that extra caramelization almost gives it a "burnt caramel" feeling which is a nice bitter surprise in the morning.

But this morning isn't about bitter surprises, it's about sweet surprises, so keep your waffles golden brown--not dark brown--to mark the occasion. What a happy day, indeed.

Recipe: Malted Waffles

Summary: From Baked Explorations (makes 10 waffles).

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup malt powder
• 2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• Maple syrup, butter and / or chocolate chips for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees (that's if you want to keep them warm after you cook them; or you can do what I do and serve them up hot out of the waffle maker for each person individually). Prepare a waffle iron with cooking spray or vegetable oil per the manufacturer's instructions.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, malt powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs slightly, add the buttermilk and butter, and whisk again.
3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the buttermilk mixture into it. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ever so gently until just combined--there will be some visible lumps. Cook the waffles according to the manufacturer's instructions for your iron. Generally speaking, you will use 1/4 to 1/2 cup batter per waffle (depending on the size of your waffle iron). Cook the waffles until they are golden brown or a little darker. Transfer to a rack in your oven to keep warm or eat them right away with maple syrup, butter and chocolate chips.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 5 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8