Whole Grain Waffles of Wonder

Before Christmas of 2011, I had never made waffles.  Hey, I'm a Bastyr nutritionist... we have whole grain breakfasts, protein smoothies, a veggie omelette or some other healthy concoction.  But really, I had never owned a waffle maker.  I just didn't want a kitchen gadget that only worked for ONE food I would only make once a month or so.

But my little sandwich maker bit the dust and my mom got me this fab Black 'n Decker sandwich maker/waffle maker that you can pull the plates out and flip them over.  I love it.  Makes great toasty cheese.  Besides, my kids looked forward to spending the night w/ my parents for special occasions (possibly more than I loved them staying the night with  my parents for 'special' occasions) because they always have waffles for breakfast.  'GRANDMA SUZY MADE US WAFFLES TODAY!'  Said in a way that showed clear favoritism for my parents.

I was not going to let my mom have this one.

Here is my thing with waffles.  #1: I am really a stickler on minimizing sugar... especially at breakfast.  If you blow your blood sugar at the first meal of the day, it screws up your whole day.  #2: White flour and sugar? Where is the goodness??

What is a healthy waffle mix?

That depends on what you are looking for. The basic for me include whole food ingredients, high fiber and whole grains. Maybe a little protein too.

So I did some researching and found my recipe.  What surprised me is how YUMMY they are. The fact that they are made with whole grains does NOT diminish their tastiness.

Is waffle and pancake mix the same?

They are mostly the same. There is a lot more wiggle room with pancake batter in terms of thick and runny batter. And waffle batter needs a little oil added in. I use this same recipe for waffles AND pancakes. So you can too.

Can you keep leftover waffles for later?

This is the beauty of waffles. You can keep leftovers in the fridge (or drawer, really) and pop them in the toaster for a quick breakfast on Tuesday. The toaster makes them nice and crispy. I like spreading some peanut butter and maple syrup on my leftover waffles.

Should I soak whole wheat flour?

The short answer is, “YES!”

Not only does pre-soaking your whole grain waffle batter improve their nutrition, it also gives you an opportunity to get it all set up the night before which makes the morning easier.

Does soaking flour remove phytic acid?

 Whole grains have lots of good stuff in them, but a lot of it you can't absorb.  That's right. It’s in there, but you can’t use it.  All that oat-bran, brown-rice you’ve been eating is full of “anti-nutrients” like phytic acid. Phytic acid or phytates are negatively charged molecules that bind up the divalent cations in your food. In English, it binds up iron, zinc, copper, magnesium, manganese and more. So you just poop them out instead of absorbing them.  

Whole grains are seeds.  Like nuts, beans, and well... seeds.  And a seed's job isn't to give it up for the eater... a seed is designed to be eaten by an animal, pass mostly unchanged by the digestive tract, get pooped out at a distant location, and planted so it can grow into a new plant!  The seed has many minerals in it, but they are all bound up (chelated) by phytates that keep you from absorbing them and keep them from the enzymes they work as cofactors to.  Seeds also have enzyme inhibitors that keep the seeds OWN enzymes from activating until the seed starts the germination process. They kind of keep your own enzymes from working so well on the seed (like the trypsin that helps you digest protein).  But once the seed is planted in moist soil and the germination process starts... the pytates are nutralized, releasing the minerals.  The enzyme inhibitors are inactivated, allowing enzymes to start breaking down proteins and starches for the baby plant to use.  Then WHAM, you eat it!  It's why sprouted grain products are so nutritious.  (And you thought I was just going to give you a waffle recipe?)

This is why I recommend soaking brown rice and beans before cooking. To initiate the germination process and make the nutrients more bioavailable.

But what about things made from whole grain flour?  You can't exactly sprout it anymore.  No, but you CAN neutralize the phytates by soaking the flour in something acidic.  Traditionally, people soak it in whey.  Whey is the liquid part of your yogurt.  You can also use a little orange juice.  Fermentation also neutralizes it and massively improves the bioavailability of the nutrients (think sourdough).  Look at the food tempeh!  Soy beans are very high in phytates and enzyme inhibitors, making them incredibly hard to digest and get nutrients from.  But tempeh is a fermented soy product (like miso and tamari/shoyu) that is nutritionally superior to tofu in every way.

So back to the waffles.  We are going to soak some whole wheat pastry flour, some oats, and any ground up whole grains you want to add (flax seed, millet, quinoa... whatever... if you have it, add it).  Soak it overnight, let it get bubbly.  You can add some yeast or your own sourdough starter to give complexity.  Then in the morning, add the eggs, salt and baking soda and you're on your way!

Is real maple syrup worth the money?

Every last penny. Most “maple syrups” are just high fructose corn syrup. Nothing like HFCS to set off a cascade of inflammation and fatty liver. Avoid that stuff like the plague.

How can I eat waffles and not ruin my blood sugar?

I’m so glad you asked!!

Eat some protein first! Two eggs or a couple of sausages can give you enough protein to slow down your gastric emptying and make the glucose load a little lighter. The other tip is to have FEWER waffles and then, of course, go for a walk afterwards!

Whole grain waffle (or pancake) recipe

The night before, combine in a bowl (or 8+ hours earlier, if it's for brinner).

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (substitute up to 1/3 cup with ground up whole grains)

• 1/2 cup rolled oats (any thickness)

• 2 Tbls. sugar

• 3 T. peanut oil, coconut oil or melted butter

• 2 cups buttermilk or runny yogurt (thin with milk or water)

• 1/2 cup warm water

• 1 tsp. bread yeast (or a spoon full of your sourdough starter)

Put a dinner plate on top and leave on the counter in a room-temperature or warm spot.  It will get bubbly and smell a little sour.  This is good.

When you are ready to eat, pre-heat your waffle maker and add to your mixture:

• 3 whole eggs

• 1/2 tsp. baking soda

• 1/4 tsp. salt

I put orange zest in mine.

Top tip: whenever you cut up an orange, zest it first,

and save it in a jelly jar in the freezer.

Make your waffles as you normally would.  It's a little thick, and you can add enough water to make it more runny if you like.

See... looks like regular waffles from the mix!  

Add your toppings and enjoy!

Make sure you make enough to save some for a mid-week breakfast treat!

Banana Bread Waffles!!

This variation has become our favorite.  It really does taste like banana bread.  And all the extra ground nuts adds protein and healthy fats... mmmm.

• Cut the flour down to 1 3/4 cup pastry flour

• Add 1/2 cup ground walnuts and

• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds

• 1 1/2 ripe bananas, mashed

Include the nuts in the overnight mix, but add the bananas with the eggs the next morning.