Crispy, yet fluffy GF Waffles with Rhubarb Sauce and Strawberries

Recently when I wanted to make waffles for breakfast my husband implored me to find a recipe that was crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. He doesn't eat gluten free now that Lent is over (we gave up gluten for Lent:), but I am still trying - I feel better when I avoid it. Oh yeah, back to the waffles...I found a recipe for crispy fluffy waffles, so I gave it a try - he was happy. I tried it with GF flours and wasn't quite as happy, but made some adjustments and have found a new favorite waffle recipe. The first time I made these waffles I only used one egg white, but since the little guy needed some breakfast too I decided to cook him up an egg yolk and use the extra white in the waffle batter.

Rhubarb and strawberries are in season now, so we ate our breakfast waffles sans our usual maple syrup and avec rhubarb sauce and sliced strawberries. The end result...magnifique! Oh and I had a couple leftover that I ended up using to make myself a PB&J sandwich for lunch - I sometimes crave them and have not found a good GF bread recipe as of yet. Well, I have not really tried as I am already awful at making yeast bread...so I stick to "quick" breads and usually do much better.

Crispy & Fluffy Gluten Free Waffles

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• 1 T cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup milk
• 6 - 8 T oil (any combo of coconut and light olive oil)
• 1 large egg, separated (+ an extra egg white - optional)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients (almond flour through baking soda), mix to combine and set aside.
2. Melt coconut oil, if solid, and add buttermilk, milk and vanilla. Separate egg(s), adding yolk to liquid mixture. I like to use a large spouted measuring cup for the liquid mixture and add the dry ingredients to it, but you could add the liquid to the dry and stir to combine. Allow the batter to rest while you whip up the egg whites.
3. Whip the egg whites with a mixer or by hand (this will take awhile by hand, but is possible) until soft peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
4. The egg whites will make the waffles nice and fluffy and the oil will make them crispy. So, start with 6 T of oil and add more if they are not crispy enough.
5. Pour the batter into your hot waffle iron and cook until crispy. Place on a cookie sheet and into a 200 degree preheated oven to keep the waffles warm. Makes 8-10 square waffles.

Prep Time: 20 min Cook Time: 20 min Ready in: 40 min

*My notes: It is easy to make your own buttermilk and creme fraiche (sour cream) from buttermilk starter and milk or buttermilk and heavy cream. I like to buy a half pint of buttermilk (not ultra pasteurized) and add it to milk to make more buttermilk or add it to heavy cream (check the ingredient label to make sure there are no other ingredients besides cream and that it is not ultra pasteurized) to make sour cream. Pour 1/4 cup buttermilk into a glass jar, add 1-2 cups milk or cream, shake to mix thoroughly and leave out on the counter for 24 hours to thicken. Then refrigerate. Voila - buttermilk and creme fraiche, without added ingredients like carrageenan.

For the Rhubarb Sauce, combine about 2 cups of chopped rhubarb with 1/2 cup honey and 1-2 T water. Bring to a boil then allow to simmer until all of the rhubarb has softened. Check for desired sweetness - should be just barely sweet and still quite tart. Optional - add a dash or two of cinnamon.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays and Simple Lives Thursday.