I wanted to wax poetic about these gluten-free savory amaranth waffles because they deserve a sonnet, but then I sliced open the tip of my index finger on the blade of the food processor today, which is proving challenging for typing. These waffles though.
I've been hatching this savory waffle recipe ever since this epic waffle from Birchwood Cafe on our trip to Minneapolis earlier this summer. That gluten-free waffle was made of quinoa with each quarter donning distinct toppings: runny egg, chive butter with greens, bacon with syrup, and a sweet chutney with powdered sugar.
While quinoa tried to lure me in, Alanna's new cookbook Alternative Baker told me that amaranth is more exciting and complex. Move over, quinoa, there's a slimmer sexier whole grain in town.
Meet my new cooking date: amaranth.
Amaranth flour adds an earthy nutty flavor that pairs perfectly with this savory waffle rendition. The waffles are crispy on the outside, fluffy inside, and have whole grain amaranth and crumbled feta folded into the batter to add surprising crunchy bits and pockets of creamy tang!
In the spirit of Birchwood's around the world waffle toppings, I'm going to share these amaranth waffles two ways: one savory and one sweet. First up is this savory version with a sunny-side up egg, popped amaranth for crunch (and because it's so darn cute), and a big handful of pear, arugula, & fennel salad. Stay tuned for its sweet counterpart next week!
Back to my finger for a second. My career as a hand model ended abruptly mid video shoot today with just the slip of a finger off the sponge. So Alanna put on my clothes and stood in as my body double. That's true friendship right there. (She also squeamishly handed me the bandages while covering her eyes). Don't worry though, these savory waffles are good enough to make me forget about the pain.
What kind of waffler are you? Are you more of a sweet or savory waffle kind of person? I love both, but I reserve the sweet ones for dessert only. And, truth be told, we ate these savory ones for dinner both times I've made them. So I guess that means I don't eat waffles for breakfast...
Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup (38 g) amaranth flour
- ⅓ cup (35 g) gluten-free oat flour
- ⅓ cup (40 g) sweet rice flour, also called mochiko, different from "white rice flour" or "brown rice flour")
- ¼ cup (29 g) Bob's Red Mill tapioca flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup + 3 tablespoons whole milk
- 2 large eggs, separated
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons French feta, crumbled (optional)
- 2 tablespoons whole grain amaranth
- 2 tablespoons whole grain amaranth
- 4 large eggs
- 1 bartlett pear, cored and thinly sliced
- 4 cups arugula
- ½ small head fennel, shaved or thinly sliced
- ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt & pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
Gluten-Free Savory Amaranth Waffles
- In a medium bowl, sift the amaranth flour, oat flour, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Whisk together the milk, egg yolks, and melted butter in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer or an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until they become thick and foamy, about 2 minutes. With the mixer still running, slowly pour in the sugar and beat until stiff shiny peaks form, about 1-2 minutes longer.
- Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk until thoroughly combined. Fold in the feta cheese and whole grain amaranth, if using. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the batter until just combined - do not over mix.
- If using an electric waffle iron, cook waffles according to manufacturer directions, lightly spraying the iron with canola oil. If using a stovetop waffle iron, be sure to heat up both sides for at least 3 minutes on medium heat. Lightly spray the top and the bottom of the waffle iron with canola oil. Pour ¾-1 cup of batter into the middle of the waffle iron and cook for 60-90 seconds. Flip the waffle iron and cook for another 60-90 seconds. Gently open the waffle iron to check the waffle and, if needed, continue cooking until both sides are crispy. (Every stove is slightly different, but mine is ready after 90 seconds on both sides). Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining batter.
- Divide among 4 plates and serve topped with popped amaranth and pear fennel salad (recipes below)
Popped Amaranth
- Heat a large deep skillet or saucepan over high heat for at least 3 minutes. Have a bowl nearby to pour the popped amaranth into.
- Put the whole grain amaranth into the pan and watch it pop! It should start popping in about 10-20 seconds. Keep cooking, stirring, until it's completely popped a few seconds longer, being careful not to burn it. When it's finished popping, pour the popped amaranth into a bowl to cool. Sprinkle a spoonful of popped amaranth on top of each waffle.
Fried Eggs (Method from [url href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/04/exactly-how-i-cook-my-sunny-side-up-eggs-so-they-look-cute-in-food-photos/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"]How Sweet It Is[/url] - hint: she's got pictures)
- Heat a dry non-stick skillet over low heat.
- Crack an egg into a small bowl.
- When the skillet is pre-heated, gently pour the egg into the pan and let it cook, slowly until the whites set, about 3-4 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the egg on top of a waffle. Repeat with the remaining eggs/waffles.Top each egg with a bit of freshly ground pepper.
Pear Fennel Salad
- Neatly arrange the pear slices on top of each of the four waffles.
- Toss the arugula and shaved fennel in olive oil and lemon juice, and toss with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Plop a scoop of salad on top of each waffle and serve!
traci | VanillaAndBean -
I've never tried baking/cooking with amaranth, Sarah. But between you and Alanna, I'm convinced! I wen't this past weekend and stocked my pantry with teff, amaranth, buckwheat and sweet rice flour! I'm completely inspired to stretch my baking skills and enjoy new to me grains! I SO hope your finger is feeling better. THE PAIN! OMG. Gorgeous work here.. I'm always inspired by you!
Sarah Menanix -
Yay!! What a great set of flours! I feel like there are still so many that I've never played with, but it's so much fun because they impart so many new flavors to baked goods!
Karen @ The Food Charlatan -
Dude your egg is so gorgeous! The waffles are too of course, sorry, got sidetracked. i've never even heard of amaranth (seriously how many times have I commented that exact thing on your blog?) but this sounds amazing! Savory waffles ftw!
Sarah Menanix -
Hahaha - I love you. I'd never used amaranth before but now I can't stop using it!
Brenda @ a farmgirl's dabbles -
Birchwood AND amaranth have both been on my list to try. Beautiful waffles!!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks Brenda!!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness -
How have I never tried Amaranth OR savory waffles? My mind is BLOWN and I need a huge stack of these!
Sarah Menanix -
YES YOU DO OMG.
Matt -
Wish I could start every day off with these!
Sarah Menanix -
Me too. How can I make that happen? (But like, without the dishes, ya feel?)
Gena -
These look awesome, Sarah. I've had super limited success using amaranth, but I'd love to try a vegan version of these, especially since I love savory waffles!
I had to get stitches earlier this summer, thanks to a bad run-in with my mandolin. Keep your finger very clean, and take care! xo
Sarah Menanix -
Oh my gosh - the mandolin scares me!! Fortunately my finger seems to be healing well after a week!
And thank you! I'd love to see a vegan version! Doo itt!!!
Em -
"I wanted to wax poetic about these gluten-free savory amaranth waffles because they deserve a sonnet, but then I sliced open the tip of my index finger on the blade of the food processor today, which is proving challenging for typing. These waffles though."
I was kinda hoping (for comic purposes) this post was going to stop there. Bwahaha. But then I learned so much about amaranth, which I haven't used yet! I have, however, done a supermarket sweep-style grocery run through the flours aisle of Whole Foods in celebration of Alanna's new book -- so who knows, maybe it's already in my cupboard (along with the oat flour. and the buckwheat flour. and the sorghum. and the rice/coconut/millet, etc.)...and I just have no idea. Off to go find out!! Besos!
Sarah Menanix -
Hahah I thought about it. But you know me: CAN'T SHUT UP.
Go back to the store. Buy amaranth. Make waffles. You'll be happy. <3
Julia @ HappyFoods Tube -
I would looove to have these for breakfast tomorrow! Never heard of amaranth before. Does it have a specific taste? Gosh, I don't like these kind of kitchen accidents... Better when a cake doesn't turn out well rather than cut/burn/slice yourself.
Sarah Menanix -
It does! It's a little nutty and has almost a deep earthy flavor that can sometimes taste even a little smoky! I think it pairs well with savory flavors and also brings out some new notes when paired with sweet dishes!
Allyson -
Oh! I'm glad that your finger will survive. That sounds awful. These waffles, though, sound anything but. I just bought amaranth and now I'm looking for something to use it in. I think this will have to be my first test.
Sarah Menanix -
I'm using amaranth in so many things lately - I'm excited to share the sweet version of these waffles soon! I hope you give them a try and love them!
Joyce @ Sun Diego Eats -
Sarah these sound lovely! I've only ever used amaranth in porridge before (and then proceeded to spill half the bag of the grains on the floor - I find amaranth in the nooks and crannies of my house to this day)
P.S. I cut my finger on a plastic yogurt lid yesterday which is much lamer but also impairs typing so I sympathize with this :/
Sarah Menanix -
Haha I totally spilled half of them on the floor too! They're so light and wild! Oh man - I'm so sorry about your yogurt cut! After I wrote this post, I proceeded to cut my other index finger 2x with the same knife on two separate occasions. I cannot be trusted.
Abby @ Heart of a Baker -
Amaranth waffles?! YES PLEASE. I feel your pain on the finger, I took mine (accidentally) to a mandoline once and never used one of those things again. I thought I would have 1/4 of my thumb missing for life, but turns out I'm not that cool :) xo
Sarah Menanix -
Oy! Mandoline slicers terrify me!! I've done a version of this cut basically on every finger now. It was so deep/bad that it actually barely hurt, oddly enough!
Tori//Gringalicious -
These look like exactly what my morning needs everyday!!!! I'm so in!!!
Sarah Menanix -
Yay! Let's have a waffle party!
Carla -
OH, HELLO BEAUTIFUL WAFFLES. (AND BEAUTIFUL FRIED EGGS, I mean, MY GOODNESS.) I didn't even know quinoa had COMPETITION, much less skinnier, sexier opponents. Wait. Did the amaranth distract you? EVERYTHING IS MAKING SENSE NOW.
Sarah Menanix -
Oh HAI CARLA. The amaranth is so good that I'm not even realizing I'm having to type with 9 fingers (still). Well, that's not true - this bum finger is super annoying.