Waffle House Waffles

It was two friendly Atlanta, Georgia neighbors who got

together in 1955 to build the first Waffle House in their

eventual 1200-restaurant chain. With the dimpled breakfast

hotcake as a signature item (and this is 3 years before

IHOP was founded!), the privately-held chain grew into

20 Southern U.S. states. Today tasty food at rock-bottom

prices, plus 24-hours-a-day service, makes Waffle House

a regular stop for devoted customers any time of the day

or night. And don’t even think about referring to your server

as a waitress; they’re called “associates.”

For the best clone of the 45-year-old secret formula for these

waffles you really should chill this batter overnight in the

fridge as they do in each of the restaurants. But, hey, sometimes

you just can’t wait, right? If you need instant gratification,

the recipe still works fine if you cook up the waffles the same

day. At least wait for 15-20 minutes after you make the batter

so that it can rest and thicken a bit. That’ll give you time to

search for the waffle iron and heat it up. Also, you might need

some time to dust it off.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons shortening

1/2 cup half & half

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1. Combine flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Stir to

combine.

2. Lightly beat the egg in another medium bowl. Add the sugar,

butter, and shortening and mix well with an electric mixer until

smooth. Add the half & half, milk, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix well.

3. Add the dry flour mixture to the wet mixture while beating. Mix

until smooth.

4. Cover and chill overnight. (You can use batter right away if you

like, but a good 12-hour chill makes the batter better.)

5. Rub a light coating of vegetable oil on a waffle iron. Preheat

the waffle iron. Leave the batter out of the refrigerator to warm

up a bit as your waffle iron is preheating.

6. Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook for

3 to 4 minutes or until the waffles are light brown.

Makes 6 waffles.

No comments