waffles ready to eat with blueberry preserves and cinnamon-dusted applesauce

They have a slightly crispy exterior and are relatively neutral in flavor, with a molasses overtone. For those who don’t do much gluten-free baking and don’t already stock xanthan gum, these instead use an extra dose of flaxseed for binding. While they won’t meet all dietary needs or preferences, they should leave few excuses for not eating a waffle. Not that there were that many to begin with…

• 1 3/4 cups warm water
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups canned coconut milk (see note)
• 3 tablespoons molasses (preferably blackstrap)

Whisk the ground flaxseed into the warm water in a medium bowl, set aside, and allow to sit for 2 to 3 minutes. In the meantime, sift or whisk together the rice flour, tapioca flour,  baking powder, baking  soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk the coconut milk and molasses into the water and flaxseed mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter is only slightly lumpy, with lumps smaller than peas.

Preheat the waffle iron for 3 to 5 minutes while allowing the batter to stand. Stir the batter another 5 to 10 strokes, breaking up any clumps of rice flour that haven’t absorbed moisture. Spray both grids of the waffle iron generously with oil. Pour or ladle the batter into the center of the iron, covering no more than two-thirds of the iron’s surface for the first waffle. Adjust the amount as needed for subsequent waffles. Bake each waffle for 4 to 5 minutes, or until it can be easily removed. Makes 5 (7-inch) round Belgian waffles.

Note: Use full-strength coconut milk, not a “light” version that’s more watered-down. Lately I’ve had more difficulty finding canned coconut milk that doesn’t have any water and guar gum added, and find that even “non-light” versions of different brands can differ in thickness slightly.  Because of this, you may get better results by increasing the coconut milk by 2 to 4 tablespoons while decreasing the water by an equal amount, if you’re not satisfied with the initial results.

This recipe makes roughly 4 round Belgian-style waffles.

Ingredients

• 1 C buckwheat flour
• 1C white rice flour
• 3/4 t salt
• 3/4 C + 1 T warm water
• 2 t dry yeast (I’ve used quick-rise dried yeast a few times with good results; note that some yeasts contain gluten)
• 1 C unsweetened soymilk
• 2 t raw sugar, blackstrap molasses (we’ve enjoyed this recipe with both), or other sweetener of choice
• 3/4 t baking soda
• 1/3 C hot water
• 3 T vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance–if you use canola oil, add an additional 1/8 to 1/4 t of salt)

Directions

The night before you plan to bake and eat the waffles, whisk together the flours and salt in large bowl. In separate bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix in soymilk, then blend yeast-water-soymilk mixture into flour mixture. Stir until very well blended (this is a case where the batter doesn’t have to be lumpy). Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise slightly at room temperature.

The next morning, dissolve the baking soda in the 1/3 C hot water, and add the sweetener and margarine. If necessary, place the mixture in the microwave just long enough to soften the margarine (for our microwave it’s 30 seconds). Whisk to break up any lumps of margarine and pour the mixture into the flour-soymilk-yeast mixture. Stir until well blended, and allow to sit another half hour before baking in waffle iron.

I decided to test these on more than one waffle iron, so you get to see both the round (from the Waring WMK300 waffle iron) and the square (from the Magic Chef TSK-293W waffle iron) versions. I think the orange and brown blend together nicely, perhaps catalyzing a new trend in waffle fashion!

We didn’t have fresh sage in our front yard garden or fresh ginger in stock, so I used rubbed sage and ginger powder from our local food co-op. They still came out very tasty, with just enough gingery snap to warm up the palate. (If you try it with fresh sage and ginger before I do, post your comments on how it came out!) These are on the “savory” end and have a relatively dense, healthy and wholesome feel to them. The 2 T of brown sugar is just enough to add a slight sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C buckwheat flour
• 1/2 C rolled oats
• 1 C grated carrot, measured after grating (I used the food processor)
• 2 t baking soda
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t ginger powder
• 2 1/2 t rubbed sage (or substitute 2 1/2 t dried sage or 2 t ground sage)
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 1/2 C unsweetened plain soymilk
• 3 T canola oil
• 1/3 C unsweetened applesauce
• 1 t lemon juice (optional–adds a slight amount of additional “zing”)
• 2 packed T brown sugar (I used light brown)

Sift together the dry ingredients in one bowl, and whisk together the wet ingredients (including brown sugar) in another. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. Cook on a generously oiled waffle iron and enjoy!

Makes just under four Belgian-style vegan waffles.

This waffle is about subtle style. The orange and the basil aren’t excessively pronounced, but they blend with the cornmeal, spelt flour and toasted overtones in perfect harmony.

These are inspired by a few sources: Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s delicious Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Waffles from Vegan with a Vengeance, a vegan orange pecan cornmeal waffle recipe at Bryanna Clark Grogan’s blog, and this vegan basil ice cream recipe courtesy of the Vivacious Vegan. The latter led me to concoct orange basil ice cream, which led to the idea of applying the flavor to the waffle…

These came very close to remaining stuck to the iron, but a very generous spraying of canola oil resolved the issue. If you try it with a higher-gluten flour like whole wheat, or with a tsp. of Ener-g egg replacer to increase binding, I’d love to hear how that worked for you. Increasing the oil content in the batter from 3 T to 1/4 C is another possibility. One or more of these adjustments may be necessary for a waffle iron under 1,000 watts.

You’ll want to cook these soon after mixing the batter, as the orange juice/baking soda reaction really puffs up the batter initially, and it soon looses some of this added puffiness. They’ll still come out great, just not quite as fluffy.

Orange zest, orange extract or increased basil are other possibilities. As always, your comments and suggestions are much appreciated!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 C whole grain spelt flour
• 3/4 C cornmeal
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 C plain soymilk
• 1 C orange juice
• 1/4 C vanilla or plain soy yogurt
• 3 T canola oil
• 2 T sugar
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 1/4 C packed finely chopped fresh basil

Sift together the dry ingredients in one bowl, and whisk together the wet ingredients (including sugar) in another. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix just until blended. Cook on a very generously oiled waffle iron.

Jen and I enjoyed these with a dollop of the remaining vanilla soy yogurt on top!

These would also make great waffles for St. Patrick’s day, with the green flecks of basil in them.