At the Koudelka’s, holiday breakfasts often involve waffles. Getting waffles perfect can sometimes be a challenge, especially when working with cast iron. Here’s what you need to do to make perfect waffles every time.
What you need:
- Cast iron waffle maker(s)
- Oil. I used olive oil for this cook
- A fork
- A slotted cooling rack
- Your favorite waffle batter. We use a homemade sourdough batter
- A measure cup between 1/2c-1c for scooping batter
- A timer. I use to use two iphone timers next to each other. Now we have a thermoworks time stack that works wonders
- Toppings. In our case whipped cream and strawberry syrup. The strawberry syrup was make from strawberry we picked and then canned as puree
Step one: Prepare your batter and toppings. Since this will vary from person to person, I won’t dive into this.
Step two: Heat your both sides of your cast iron thoroughly. I do this by heating them for at least five minutes on medium heat. For years I did this without an infrared thermometer. If you have one, shoot for about 360-380 degrees. If you don’t have one, you will need to do it be trial and error. In a perfect world you will only sacrifice one waffle to get the right temp. See Troubleshooting below.
Step three: Lightly oil the hot iron. You can do this by either filling a small bowl with oil and using a brush to apply it, or by using an oil sprayer. In either case, do not over do it. That way you get that perfect outer crust is by NOT having the oil perfectly uniform.
Step four: Apply batter. This should be done by feel as the amount may very from batter to batter. However, I usually apply between 1/2c to 3/4c per waffle. Put it smack dab in the middle of the iron and do not worry about spreading it.
Here is where things get fast. You must get into a rhythm. If you don’t get this part perfect thing you will find that one side burns and the other is light.
Step five: Put on the top of the iron AND FLIP over the entire thing. Immediately, start a stopwatch or timer for 2:00. If using a timer, it needs to be one that remembers Two Minutes. Otherwise the process will be too slow and it won’t work.
(Optional Step 1): If you are doing more than one iron, do steps four and five on separate burners now.
Step six: At the two minute mark. Flip the iron. If using a stopwatch, let it keep going. If using a timer, then set it for two minutes again. (On your FIRST waffle, use this moment to peek at the waffle. The cooked side should be golden perfection. If it is too light, turn the heat up only slightly. You can give it up to an extra thirty seconds, but no more. Do not make a correction to the second side if it comes out too light as well. Trust me it will throw off your rhythm.)
Step seven: When the timer goes off, you have only 10-15 seconds to do the following:
- Lift the top iron off
- Leave the bottom iron over the heat
- If the waffle stuck to the top, then carry the top over to the cooling rack and use a fork to pull off.
- If the waffle stuck to the bottom, set the top aside and use the fork to pull up the waffle and set on the cooling rack
Repeat starting at step 2.
Tips:
- Do NOT stack the waffles on a plate. They will get soggy
- Place them vertically on a cooling rack. See the image below
- Wait until you have four waffles made before you call breakfast. At four minute each, this this not a fast process. I use two irons at the same time about 30 seconds apart
- Understand you wont get to eat until the end
- Use heat NOT time to correct unevenness
Trouble shooting:
- Waffles stick
- Not hot enough
- Not enough oil
- Waffles uneven.
- Both sides were not heated evenly to start. The worst thing you can do is let the uncooked side cook longer. That lets the other side of the iron get too cool. This will make the NEXT waffle cook unevenly.
