How to Make Waffles
We absolutely love pancakes and Pancake Day has got to be one of our favourite days of the year because it means pancakes for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Pancakes aren’t for everyone, however, and whether you’re not a fan or just fancy something a bit different, waffles are a fantastic, tasty alternative.
We’ve put together some top tips for getting perfect waffles every time – and you don’t even need a waffle maker to achieve success!
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Waffle maker vs silicone moulds
When you think of making waffles, you probably picture a waffle maker, which is basically a toasted sandwich maker with a grid pattern.
Waffle makers are super convenient (and yes, also a little bit fun to use!) and they’re not massively expensive either, so they’re great to have on hand for when you fancy treating yourself for breakfast.
If you haven’t got the room for a waffle maker or feel like you wouldn’t use it enough to justify the expense, then silicone waffle moulds are a fantastic, cheap alternative.
In fact, although we do own a waffle maker, we usually end up using the silicone moulds to make waffles instead!
They’re super convenient and easy to use and they come in a variety of shapes as well which is how we achieved the heart shapes of our Strawberry and Vanilla Waffles – perfect for a Valentine’s breakfast.
The mixture
When mixing your batter it can be tempting to keep stirring until every single lump has disappeared and it’s completely smooth, but this is something that you definitely want to avoid!
If your waffle mixture has a few lumps in it then don’t panic as this is completely normal.
The trick is to get everything incorporated and as smooth as possible, but not over work the mixture.
You should be left with a batter that’s smooth and has a ‘dropping consistency’ so that easily fills up all of the gaps in your waffle maker or mould.
We use blitzed oats in a lot of our waffle recipes so the texture of these batters will naturally be a little bit different to recipes that use flour like our Pizza Waffles.
And, if you’re making our Onion and Chive Potato Waffles then the consistency will be completely different again.
As these savoury waffles include potato in the mixture, they have a much thicker batter and will actually come together a bit more like dough.
This is totally normal and you can just press these into your mould or waffle maker, using your hands to make sure that you push the mixture all the way to the edges.
Getting the perfect bake
As tempting as it may be to open your oven or the waffle maker to keep checking on your breakfast it’s really important that you don’t!
Trust that the waffle maker knows what it’s doing and wait for it to signal that your waffles have finished cooking before you take a peek – otherwise you might end up with one half of your waffle on the bottom and the other half on the lid!
Another important thing to remember is that your waffle maker should be preheated before you add your batter.
This is key to getting that nice, crispy crust on the outside (which, let’s be honest, is the best bit!) and means that you won’t overcook the inside either.
If you’re using a silicone mould then remove your waffles and placing them on a baking tray for the last few minutes of cooking will also really help you to achieve a crisp outside.
If you’re not sure how long to cook them for, then our Chocolate Waffles and Lemon and Blueberry Waffles both use this method.
Popping your waffles in the oven is not only a great way to give them some extra crunch, but it’s also fab if you’re cooking for a few people as it means everyone’s breakfast will be kept warm while you work.
Choosing your toppings
In our opinion, choosing the topping for your waffles is the most important part of making them.
Classic toppings can include fresh fruit like sliced banana or strawberries, a smear of jam or chocolate spread or even just plain with a bit of butter.
There’s really no wrong choice when it comes to what you choose to put on top of your waffles, but if you’re looking for a combo that’s a bit out of the ordinary then any of these combinations work really well:
- Apple and cheese
- Chocolate and sea salt
- Chocolate and chilli
- Peanut butter and jam
- Watermelon and feta
- Pear and blue cheese
- Jam and brie
- Melon and prosciutto
- Bacon and pineapple
- Lemon and rosemary
- Bacon and maple syrup
We’ve put the above topping suggestions into a handy table here that you can save and download to your computer or phone:
If you like the sound of bacon and maple syrup, then you can check out our Bacon and Maple Blueberry Pancakes here.
Cleaning
Once you’re done, cleaning your silicone waffle moulds couldn’t be easier as most can just be popped straight into the dishwasher, but cleaning a waffle maker can often feel like a mammoth task.
The trick is to clean your waffle maker while it’s still warm as this means that the batter won’t have hardened and will still be fairly easy to remove.
Now, when we say ‘warm’ we mean that you should let it cool down a little before you start cleaning.
The last thing that you want to do is to try and clean a boiling hot waffle maker as you’ll end up burning yourself.
Once your waffle maker has cooled down a little then you can carefully start to clean it, being careful not to come into contact with the plates and burn yourself.
Some waffle makers allow you to remove the plates and pop them in the dishwasher for easy cleaning, so make sure to check to see if yours is dishwasher safe or not!
Prefer pancakes to waffles? You can check out our top tips and tricks to get perfect pancakes, plus some of our favourite pancake recipes here.
Make sure to share pictures of your waffle creations over on our Facebook Group. We love seeing snaps of everything you make, and our fantastic community is so lovely and full of helpful advice!