Aretha Frankenstein's Waffles of Insane Greatness Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Grains

by: Genius Recipes

August11,2011

4.5

37 Ratings

  • Prep time 40 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Serves 2 to 4

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Author Notes

This recipe (originally from Aretha Frankenstein's restaurant in Chattanooga, TN) is the ideal I-just-woke-up-from-a-waffle-dream waffle, a morning-of alternative to the overnight yeasted kind. The cornstarch in the batter helps tamp down gluten formation, making these waffles silky and moist inside with a crust as thin and crisp as an eggshell. —Genius Recipes

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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Aretha Frankenstein's Waffles of InsaneGreatness

Ingredients
  • 3/4 cupall-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cupcornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoonbaking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoonbaking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoonsalt
  • 1 cupwhole milk or buttermilk (or a combination)
  • 1/3 cupvegetable oil or melted butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoonssugar
  • 3/4 teaspoonvanilla extract
  • Butter and pure maple syrup, for serving
Directions
  1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add the milk, vegetable oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and mix well. Let the batter sit for 30 minutes.
  2. Heat a waffle iron. Follow the directions on your waffle iron to cook the waffles. Serve immediately with butter and pure maple syrup or hold in a 200 degree oven, directly on the rack (don't stack them or they'll get soggy). These also reheat very well in the toaster.

Tags:

  • Waffle
  • American
  • Maple Syrup
  • Milk/Cream
  • Grains
  • Breakfast

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • 3jamigos

  • Nathan Adams

  • ccookery

  • Shwillary

  • MBE

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

142 Reviews

Hanne August 8, 2023

I get so tired. Would you please get serious at Food52 and use weight (grams) in stead of cups? Cup measure is very imprecise unless you measure fluids.
Regards from a European.

kmb August 8, 2023

This American who prefers using a scale agrees!

kmb August 8, 2023

FWIW I use 90g flour and 28g cornstarch for the measurements given.

3jamigos July 17, 2023

Saw the post on IG and immediately pulled out my wafflemaker! 40 minutes later, enjoying crispy on the outside, soft and pillowy on the inside waffles, Delish! The recipe is incredibly easy which makes this a winner. One bowl, throw it all in, and let it sit for 30 minutes. I used half buttermilk half whole milk and melted butter. The only negative-it doesn't make enough waffles!

Linda F. May 26, 2023

Have been making this recipe for a few years. Best recipe ever. I am wondering if anyone has had any luck preparing the mixture the night before. I have a large breakfast gathering coming up, and would prefer not to prep the day of.

Nathan A. May 26, 2023

You will get some black spots on the top of the mix that you can spoon off. Previously I would save the batter for the next day before I decided it was less cleanup to just make the waffles and freeze for later use. I think the black spots are some sort of oxidation but that is my 100% uninformed opinion.

Linda F. May 26, 2023

Thanks for this!

kmb May 26, 2023

I have assembled all the dry ingredients on the counter and all the wet except the egg in the fridge the night before, and then in the morning just crack the eggs, combine, and let it rest while I get the iron out and let it heat up, start the bacon or whatever, etc.

Paul V. May 14, 2023

A family favorite, this is one of our go-to recipes when hosting brunch for family or friends. The crisp shell-like outside with the steamy soft inside is what makes them work for people; you don’t have to over-iron them to get the texture contrast. For our gluten-free friends, we’ve experimented and learned that King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour works really well in this recipe.

Annie March 12, 2023

I've tried many waffle recipes over the years . . . these waffles are best when you don't have the time (or forgot!) to start the yeast-ed variety. Light on the inside, crispy on the outside. I used half whole milk half buttermilk. I used butter not the oil. I didn't have enough corn starch so I used potato. Delicious & Quick.

kmb November 13, 2022

This recipe works well in both my Waring round flip maker and my All Clad square maker. I make a double recipe and add a tablespoon of malted milk powder to the batter.

chelsea W. October 24, 2022

Best waffle recipe I've found. However, the recipe as written makes for 2-3 waffles in a Belgian-style waffle iron. For our family of 4, I triple the recipe and store the extras in our freezer. These reheat from frozen beautifully in the toaster oven.

Chef B. August 10, 2022

I did not get the same results as other reviewers. The waffle was very eggy tasting, not crispy and the quantity of butter made the waffles greasy.

Karla June 20, 2022

I’ve been making these for several years in a flip over style waffle maker. The secret to getting both sides crispy is to flip the waffle maker right after filling it. The waffles are light, airy and crispy, served with sides of fruit and breakfast meat.

Nathan A. May 18, 2022

I have made waffles for my kids for years and never found the perfect recipe. With my oldest daughter I would use Bisquick but they were never that great. Once my second daughter came and was old enough to eat waffles (3 years later) we tried Aunt
Jemima because she liked the lady on the box. The waffles were OK but still not the right ones. Once my son was born I had gone through several different recipes. My son prefers Belgian waffles but my wife prefers normal waffles. I once ate waffles at waffle hut and they were not bad. I stumbled upon this recipe a few years ago and this is now my go to for waffles. This review makes no sense much like to ones that say I love this recipe but change the ingredients and proportions. If you change the recipe because you like to ruin perfection great, but guess what no one cares to hear about it!

GViV June 5, 2022

I care. thank you.

Nida September 28, 2021

Maybe it's dumb to add on but, having tried all the recipes after getting a waffle iron for Christmas a few years ago, this is the recipe I keep coming back to. My waffle iron is for the thick Belgian kind and this recipe works best if you blitz the batter in a Vitamix and use a combination of milk and Greek yogurt to get a thicker batter that will fill the waffle iron. I always double the recipe and freeze the leftovers for quick 'eggo' schoolday breakfasts. If you're hesitating over this recipe, don't. It's really good.

Emily June 5, 2021

The best waffle recipe!! I used almond milk instead of cow's milk and they turned out beautifully: crunchy on the edges and soft in the middle and completely moreish

Bertarms April 7, 2021

Worked out well! Two slight changes - reduced the oil to 1/4 cup and separated the egg and folded in the whipped white after the 30 minute resting period. The waffles were light and crispy. Next time I’m going to substitute melted unsalted butter for the oil and we will decide which version we prefer.

ccookery February 26, 2021

The absolute best waffle recipe. I have used this recipe for many years and it's always a winner. Perfection on a plate!

Shwillary January 17, 2021

This recipe is perfect - comprised of pantry staples, easy to follow directions, and a reasonable breakfast for 2 (or for 1, guilty!) A quick fix for lazy weekends and a nice excuse to have breakfast for dinner.
The waffles are best when the batter has had a chance to rest but I haven't had issues or complaints when I've been impatient, either.
I've food-gifted the dry ingredients with instructions for adding wet later, and have found success there also. Insane Greatness Indeed!

MBE June 15, 2020

Nice waffles with little fuss! I usually make waffles with separated eggs etc. and would have to do a direct comparison but I thought these were very good. I appreciated light crispiness promised. I did use melted ghee in place of oil for flavor. I can see if one used melted butter which is around 20% water depending on the type of butter you are using, that the result might be different in texture. The batter was thinner than my beaten egg white version, but it spread nicely and baked beautifully. Can't wait to reheat the leftovers in the toaster.

Heather C. May 31, 2020

I am not a huge fan of these. I am an experienced cook and when I made these the batter is thin, and they turned out spongy and eggy in the middle. I won't be making again.

Melissa Y. March 21, 2020

I love not having to separate eggs, use a mixture, and dirty 3 bowls in the process! They make the perfect waffle (it’s better with butter), and can withstand a ton of substitutes. I’ve used potato starch, old baking powder, skim milk only, added nuts, fruit, chocolate chips, coconut—it’s all awesome. (Potato starch actually thickens they batter and gives a crispier outside but isn’t quite as fluffy inside.) Using 3/4 cup batter per waffle only makes 2 waffles, so I triple the recipe and freeze the remainder. It’s a keeper.

bettye198 March 7, 2020

I would substitute arrowroot for the cornstarch. Much healthier.

Benny March 7, 2020

Just made these on our george foreman waffle plates. The batter was thinner than I expected which worried me, but they came out great. Fluffed right up. I quadrupled the recipe and got 16 waffles. Next time I will likely reduce the salt a little, but it is the right amount of sugar. This was not too sweet like most recipes I have seen. The waffle was light, airy, and I think would be a great vehicle for sweet or savory toppings. I will definitely use this one again.

Aretha Frankenstein's Waffles of Insane Greatness Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Why do restaurant waffles taste better? ›

An undeniable element of technique is involved in the flipping, timing, and surgical extraction of delicate waffles from the teeth of the iron. It also takes an experienced hand to not cram too much batter into the iron or underfill and end up with a thin, lackluster puck.

Should waffle batter rest before cooking? ›

Recommended overnight or 2 hr resting – for the tastiest waffles, rest the batter overnight in the fridge or for at least 2 hours. This makes the flour grains absorb the liquid so it makes the inside of the waffles softer.

How important is baking powder in waffles? ›

Baking powder and baking soda: Help our waffles rise and brown. I recommend using both for the best waffles. Sugar, salt, and vanilla extract: Make our waffles taste amazing. I keep the sugar amount low since I love pouring maple syrup on top, but you can increase the sugar for sweeter waffles.

What is the best oil for waffles? ›

Use neutral oil instead

The results showed that rapeseed oil or canola oil gave the tested waffles a more even browning on the exterior than butter. While butter is typically the fat of choice for any pan-fried cake, vegetable oil or rapeseed oil gives the waffle a better crisp.

What is the secret to making good waffles? ›

Here are some tips:
  • Strike while the iron's hot. If your waffles come out pale and soft, it could be because the appliance isn't hot enough. ...
  • Whip your whites. ...
  • Opt for oil instead of butter. ...
  • Try a yeasted-waffle recipe. ...
  • Add cornstarch. ...
  • Finish them in the oven.
Apr 9, 2022

What kind of flour is best for waffles? ›

On the flip side, waffles aren't as flaky-delicate as baked goods, making pastry flour too fine for the job. Good old AP, or all-purpose, flour is where it's at. If you want to sprinkle in a tablespoon or two of buckwheat or rye flour for added nutty heft, go for it.

How to get crispier waffles? ›

3 Tips for Making Crispy Waffles
  1. Make Sure Your Waffle Iron Is Hot.
  2. Swap Half the Buttermilk for Milk.
  3. Bake the Finished Waffles in the Oven.

What does butter do to waffles? ›

Some people think that butter gives a slightly thicker batter, though it is not something we have noted ourselves. However, you may find that it slightly affects the cooking time of the waffles, so keep a closer eye on the first couple of batches until you are sure of the cooking time in your waffle maker.

Is it better to use milk or water in waffle mix? ›

The milk adds a bit of richness to the batter, especially depending on what type of milk you use. Some alternative milks have a higher fat content which would yield a richer batter. Either way, you'll end up with a great tasting waffle if you use water alone.

Why add egg to waffle mix? ›

Many people whip the egg whites when making waffles because it makes them fluffier. Thus, include this step if you want a soft interior for your waffles. Separate the whites from the yolk before mixing the ingredients to save time. Start by pouring the egg whites into a separate mixing bowl.

What does cream of tartar do in waffles? ›

Adding a small amount of cream of tartar when you're beating egg whites—usually 1/8 teaspoon per egg white—speeds up the creation of foam and helps stabilize the structure of those minuscule air bubbles you're whipping up.

Why do restaurant pancakes taste better? ›

For starters, griddles are far less constricted space-wise, allowing restaurants to cook your pancakes in a shorter period of time. Additionally, griddles ensure the cooking surface stays perfectly heated both before and after the batter hits it — resulting in an evenly-cooked, griddle-kissed final product.

Why do Belgian waffles taste different than regular waffles? ›

The Difference Between Belgian Waffles and Regular Waffles

These Belgian beauties are made with a recipe that includes yeasted batter and crunchy pearl sugar. Belgian waffles have extra-deep pockets—the better for filling with butter, jam, maple syrup, or whipped cream.

What is the difference between Waffle House and Belgian waffles? ›

Waffle House serves American-style waffles. Belgian waffles are bigger with a lighter batter. In Belgium, waffles have been a part of the diet for centuries. But so-called Belgian waffles aren't really served in that country.

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