While baking powder is an important ingredient for making some quick breads, you can make many breads (and certainly pancakes and waffles) without it. But first, what is baking powder? Baking powder is made from an acid such as cream of tartar, cornstarch, and sodium bicarbonate, which is the same thing as baking soda.
Baking powder serves as a dry chemical leavener that helps the bread to rise. When you mix baking powder with a liquid, a chemical reaction happens that causes carbon dioxide (CO2) to release into the batter. Whatever you’re cooking starts to expand and rise immediately.
The great thing with waffles is that they are so easy to make, and you can rustle them up with a few ingredients found in your cupboards.
A common misconception about waffles is that they have to be cooked with baking powder, which is not true. With our recipe, you can cook delicious, crispy and fluffy waffles, without baking powder!
Waffles have been a beloved breakfast and dessert option for centuries, offering a satisfying combination of taste, texture, and versatility. While many recipes call for baking powder as the leavening agent, it is possible to achieve delicious waffles without using this common ingredient. By exploring alternative methods of adding fluffiness and structure to the batter, one can create perfect waffles that cater to various dietary preferences or constraints.
Several alternatives to baking powder can be employed in waffle recipes, ranging from natural ingredients to other chemical leaveners. Not only will these substitutes keep the desired rise and fluffy texture, but they may also add a unique flavor profile to the final product. Utilizing these alternatives, home cooks and seasoned chefs alike can expand their repertoire of waffle recipes and provide a scrumptious, satisfying meal for a wide array of tastes.
Get updates on the latest posts and more from The Kitchen Community straight to your inbox.SUBSCRIBEI consent to receiving emails and personalized ads.
Origin Of Waffles
You may be surprised to hear that waffles have been enjoyed by people for centuries. There are even some studies that suggest the Ancient Greeks had their own version of waffles, with flatbreads cooked between two hot stones.
Even in the medieval ages, people began to cook their own types of waffles, between two rounded plates much like a modern waffle maker would! As years passed, these types of waffles became very popular, and were served all across Europe.
For the most part, waffles are attributed to Dutch culture, as they are known to make the most exceptional waffles in the world. It is said that the Dutch took waffles to America sometime in the 1600s, and the rest is history.
Nowadays, waffles are found on breakfast and restaurant menus across the globe, known as one of the most popular breakfast dishes enjoyed by many people. So, are you ready to make your own?
Ingredients You Need To Make Crispy Waffles
If you want to make crispy waffles, then there are a few things that you will need. For instance, we will not get anywhere without a waffle iron, or waffle maker.
You can find these for pretty cheap on Amazon, with a variety of shapes and serving sizes to choose from. If you just need a regular waffle maker that makes four waffles at a time, then you cannot go wrong with this one:
Once you have your waffle maker, then you can start thinking about the ingredients that you will need to use. The main original ingredients to make waffles are eggs, flour and water.
As their popularity grew, people began to use leavening agents such as baking soda and baking powder. However, they are not completely necessary, and some people avoid using baking powder because of its nasty aftertaste.
Therefore, you do not have to go without this tasty breakfast essential anymore, just because you don’t have baking powder! With our recipe, you can either go without it, or substitute a leavening agent instead of using baking powder in your waffles.
The perfect waffles will need to be crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. Sometimes, what makes waffles fluffy and light, is the leavening agent such as baking powder or soda, but you actually do not need them to make delicious waffles at home.
You can substitute many different ingredients that can act as a leavening agent if you do not have baking powder at home. For instance, you could use baking soda instead, as this makes the waffles nice and light.
Or, you could substitute baking soda with a little lemon juice as this will help to expand the waffles and make them very fluffy and airy.
However, you can also use a little bit of sparkling water, as this can work as a leavening agent. To do this, all you need to do is use half of the milk in this recipe, and add some sparkling water instead, which will create a fizz and bulk up the waffles a little bit.
In addition, some people prefer to use buttermilk instead of regular milk in their waffles recipe, as this has a much higher fat content, that can make your waffles taste extra smooth.
You may be wondering how your waffles are expected to rise if there is no baking powder in the recipe. The secret is in the eggs. Eggs can work as a raising agent, you just need to whisk them up really well.
If you whisk the eggs when making the batter really well, then there will be more air bubbles inside the batter, which will in effect make the waffles much lighter, crispier and tastier when they are done!
That being said, it is fine to use our suggestions for baking powder substitutions if you wish to!
Best Waffle Toppings
One of our favorite things about waffles (along with how delicious they are) is that they are so incredibly versatile. You can customize your waffles to your tastes by adding different toppings and sauces depending on your preferences!
This means that you can enjoy them as a sweet treat, or a savory dish, depending on what you prefer.
Our favorite waffle toppings are slices of crispy bacon, with some maple syrup, but there are so many options out there! For instance, you could have bacon and eggs on your waffles, or grated or melted chocolate with some fruit.
You could even put some heavy cream, yoghurt or some berries on top of the waffles, or eat them with a dollop of nutella, honey or jellies. The choice really is up to you!
The good thing about our waffle recipe is that they are not too sweet, and only contain 1 tbsp of sugar, which means you can either put sweet toppings, or savory ones on the waffles, and they will still taste beautiful.
In addition, you can customize your waffles, or make them in fun shapes depending on what you like, and which waffle maker you have. For instance, you can make Mickey Mouse waffles:
or heart shaped waffles:
or just normal waffles:
How To Make Waffles Without Baking Powder
If you are ready to make some delicious waffles without baking powder for yourself, then you are in luck. With our easy to follow step by step recipe, you can’t go wrong, and you will have tasty, crispy waffles in just a matter of minutes!
The first thing that you are going to have to do is gather all of your ingredients. For this recipe to work, you are going to need 2 eggs, 1 ½ cups of all purpose flour, 1 cup of whole milk, ¼ cup of melted butter, 1 tbsp of granulated sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla.
With all of the ingredients at the ready, we can get started. First, grab a large mixing bowl and combine the flour and sugar together until mixed. Then, with a new bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, eggs and vanilla extract.
Once those ingredients are combined, you will need to fold in the dry ingredients and stir them together. Then, leave the waffle batter to rest for about two minutes.
Whilst your batter is resting, you can then preheat the waffle iron. Once it has reached the perfect temperature, then pour ⅓ cup of waffle batter into the waffle iron, and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes or until the waffles are golden brown in color.
Remove the waffles from the iron once cooked, and serve up warm with your favorite toppings and enjoy!
Waffles Without Baking Powder
How to make delicious crispy waffles without baking powder!
