A simple delight: Buttermilk Waffles

Last week was not a great week for me. However my boyfriend got some good news and therefore Saturday morning required some celebration. What says a little celebration better than waffles?!

These waffles were basic buttermilk waffles with a little extra twist. I scan a few different recipes for inspiration and saw that a few people were seperating their eggs to give th dough a lighter airy quality and oh boy does it work?! The texture is beautifully light on the inside and crispy on the outside. The hidden trick, they also contain very little fat which helps when you find yourself eating your 3rd waffle!

Buttermilk Waffles

500ml Buttermilk (or any milk with 2tsp lemon juice)

2 eggs separated

1 pinch cream of tartar

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g plain flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp brown sugar

50g granulated white sugar

Beat your egg whites with the pinch of cream of tartar until light and fluffy, beat in the white sugar to form a meringue. Change the bowl and beat together the buttermilk and egg yolks. Sieve the flour, baking soda and powder over the buttermilk while continuing to whisk. Once the mixture is smooth add the brown sugar and vanilla extract. Once these have been incorporated, let the mixture sit for 20-30 minutes. Preheat the waffle iron and fold in the egg whites. Your waffle iron will give you an accurate indication of timing for cooking your waffles. Serve with syrup, fruit and frozen low fat yoghurt, or ice-cream depending on your inclination. Enjoy ;)

And in case you were wondering if the boyfriend enjoyed this celebratory meal... well here's the same waffle 30 seconds after I stopped photographing it.

One bite left and one happy bf, congratulations to my lovely man.

Christmas is over but baby it's cold outside!

There is something so unbelievably unjust about snow in January. Don't get me wrong I like snow but there is a time and a place; the time is in lead up to Christmas in a place near my house or after Christmas and far away, on a skiing holiday, but NOT after Christmas near my house because that is just cumbersome and depressing. However the weather doesn't seem to understand this because look what happened today, just as I was cycling home -

Snow in January :(

The main problem is that cold weather makes people want to curl up with a blanket and some comfort food but in the wonderful post-New Years tradition, everyone is watching what they eat and spend which doesn't equate to much time for relaxation or any of the delicious baked goods that one may have enjoyed prior to the 31st December. Which is where brown scones come in. Brown wholemeal scones combine everything that you crave about baked goods with all the high fiber and low fat health benefits.

Brown Soda Scones
320g    Whole meal Flour
130g    White Bread Flour
1 tsp     Baking Soda
1 tsp     Salt
2 tbsp   Brown sugar
200ml  Buttermilk
2          Egg yolks
30ml    Melted butter

Preheat your oven to 200'C/400'F/Gas Mark 6. Mix together the whole meal flour, bread flour, salt and baking soda. Whisk together the butter milk and egg yolks and incorporate this into the flour mix.Gradually incorporate the melted butter. If you have a stand mixer knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding a small amount of bread flour after 2.5 minutes.Form 8 similar sized balls of dough and arrange them on a baking tray. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle the top with a pinch of white sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes then cool on a wire wrack.

Enjoy with jam.

Update - It looks like the weather didn't even listen to my opinions on appropriate snow etiquette despite announcing them online. This morning Dublin awoke to a small blanket of snow!! Oh well, at least I still had one scone left for breakfast ;)

Note the layer of white visible in the background!