Creative baking with your waffle iron: 8 simple dishes

I gave my first workshop, and it just so happened to be about baking. As you know, I'm more of a foodie who dives into "cooking" than into "baking." Complicated recipes and multiple techniques are not my thing, so I prefer simple baking recipes.

WaffleTastic®

Like these recipes I made using a waffle iron with no less than 14 (!) different baking plates. You can not only use it to bake classic waffles, but there are also other plates to make toasted sandwiches, crispy wafers, madeleines, mini pancakes (poffertjes), and more.

I really enjoyed this workshop, and the feedback I received afterward meant a lot. It was such a wonderful group of hobby bakers who gave it their all for three hours.

Some practical tips for baking waffles:

Always ensure all ingredients are at room temperature.
Sift the flour to avoid lumps in the batter.
Accurately weigh all ingredients (baking is an exact science).
Preheat your waffle iron in a closed position.
Grease the baking plates before the first bake, even if they are non-stick.
Close the waffle iron immediately after adding the batter to ensure even coloring on both sides.
Use a timer and respect the baking time. If you open the waffle iron too soon, the batter will stick to the plates.
Use a waffle fork to remove the waffles from the iron.
Let your waffles cool on a rack to avoid condensation.
Store waffles in a plastic or tin box. You can also freeze them—just make sure they are carefully packed.

The Workshop & Recipes

The group consisted of 16 people and was divided among 4 cooking islands available to us. Each island of 4 people made 1 sweet and 1 savory dish. Afterward, we gathered all the dishes and presented them as a sort of brunch on one large table. The types of baking plates we used were: Island 1 worked with the mini pancake plate, Island 2 with the waffle plate, Island 3 with the madeleine plate, and Island 4 with the stuffed waffle plate. Four different baking plates, eight different dishes.

Island 1 made classic mini pancakes and, as a savory counterpart, potato-herb mini pancakes. The classic mini pancakes can be served as a snack, for example, with powdered sugar, blueberries, and mint leaves as garnish. The potato-herb mini pancakes can be served as an appetizer and topped with a dollop of sour cream (feel free to mix it with some mayonnaise and season with pepper and salt; add some finely chopped chives) and caviar or salmon eggs. An edible flower also looks nice as a garnish.

Island 2 baked soft vanilla storage waffles and breakfast quesadillas with egg, avocado, and tomato. Garnish the vanilla waffles with powdered sugar. The quesadillas can easily be served as lunch, accompanied by a dip made of sour cream, mayonnaise, finely chopped chives, and pepper and salt.

Island 3 chose classic madeleines and savory madeleines with Parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. You can leave the classic madeleines plain and dust them with powdered sugar. Or you could dip one half in melted chocolate sauce. The savory madeleines were garnished with arugula and served with chili oil.

Finally, Island 4 baked stuffed waffles with apple-raspberry compote and savory stuffed waffles with herb cream cheese and smoked salmon. Garnish the raspberry waffles with extra powdered sugar, some fresh raspberries, and mint leaves. Serve the savory waffles with watercress or arugula.

All the recipes can be found on the FRITEL website. 😋

Two of the recipes are not my own: the classic madeleines, which is a recipe from renowned pâtissière Sarah Renson, and the stuffed waffles with apple-raspberry compote, a recipe from Hap & Tap. Credit where credit is due, I always say! The recipe for the soft vanilla storage waffles is my own and can be found here on Lizzylizzblog.

By Lizzylizz on September 23, 2024