The quarantine has seen budding chefs come out of their hiding and unleash their talent on social media. The one recipe that has earned more popularity than others is the…*drumrolls* Banana Bread!
Now what it is with banana bread, I cannot say. But as a wannabe baker, I can attest to the usefulness of banana in the world of baking. Overriped bananas are an excellent way to add sweetness to your smoothies or bakes, without reaching out for refined sugar. Frozen bananas can be used for making ice creams that actually turn out pretty good. Mashed bananas can act as replacement for eggs or butter, for people who want to keep away from dairy. And of course, sliced bananas are great toppings for pancakes and waffles.
This valuable knowledge, mixed with the growing waistline from all the cheesecakes and Indian desserts, made me look for an avenue that is not only difficult but also oxymoronic – Healthy Desserts.
While I have certainly tried to scout for a recipe that is low on calories, this is not a keto-friendly recipe. It can, however, be easily modified to be vegan-appropriate and is in itself free off gluten.
So, go ahead, give this a read, and let me know how it turned out for you!
Note: The instructions may seem to consists of unusually long sentences if you’re one of those who just skim articles to find the actual recipe (I am one of those too). But have a little patience, and I promise to humour you! In case you’re still not convinced, the words in bold should be an easy way out.
PRE-COOKING REQUIREMENTS:
- A wafflemaker, duh!
- At least 2 mixing bowls in the house (don’t be like me)
- 2 1/4 cups oat flour
- 3/4 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 large bananas should cut it)
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar or coconut sugar (granulated)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg (based on preference)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs at room temperature or flax seeds
- 1 cup milk (I prefer almond milk)
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil or 7 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
INSTRUCTIONS:
Step 1
Get a wafflemaker. I won’t be exaggerating if I say that the only reason I set out to make this recipe was because I purchased an extremely cute wafflemaker. After 2 weeks of it being just a showpiece on the table with my occasional admirations, my boyfriend quipped in that it can be used to make waffles as well. Feel free to use yours sooner.
Step 2
In my previous post on Healthy Banana Bread, I had mentioned how much I detest the sight of mashed bananas. The process becomes surprisingly easier if you just hand over that responsibility to your boyfriend instead. In an ideal scenario, the bananas have ripened to a point where there are black spots on the skin (so you can’t eat them raw anymore) and your boyfriend agrees to help you out. If you’re not as lucky, try using a potato masher instead of a fork – it surely eases the process.
Step 3
To the new bakers: there’s one rule to baking..properly. Mix your dry and wet ingredients separately before putting them in together. This ensures that the dry ingredients in particular are distributed uniformly throughout the batter. You wouldn’t want to bite into a lump of salt, would you?
In this case, the wet ingredients comprise of the coconut oil(or butter), milk, mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla extract. First whisk the eggs and then add in the rest of the wet ingredients. You can try omitting the eggs completely and it should be fine, but you never know till you try.
**Extra advice**: It might be a good strategy to separate the egg whites from the yolk and beat it separately with the sugar. The addition of sugar softens the egg whites and makes for an easy incorporation into the batter. You can go through this extra trouble if you want light waffles with a crisp on the outside.
Step 4
Now time for the dry ingredients. The flour used in the recipe is oat flour. It is of course substitutable by whole wheat flour or even AP flour but then the recipe name no longer remains Banana Oat Waffles. So you might want to go the extra mile and get oat flour, because the taste of oats DOES elevate the recipe much!
Easier way to get oat flour: Get old-fashioned rolled oats and grind them in the food processor/blender.
More expensive way to get oat flour: Scout for an organic version.
If we were in the realm of AP flour, I would yell at you to sift the flour before use, so as to not form clumps/pockets in the mixture. But here, you get a pass because some not-so-fine pieces of oat flour will not cause much damage in this recipe. Still, if you’re finicky like me, you might want to sift as much of the flour as possible.
Step 5
Get a bowl to whisk together the oat flour, cornstarch, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. A pinch of cinnamon (or nutmeg) adds a hint of spice that appeals to my Indian tastebuds. I would really like to see if leaving out the sugar completely has any other effect on the waffles, but maybe you can tell me if you try it before me?
Step 6
It is good practice to fold in the dry ingredients into the wet, and not vice versa. This helps to mix the batter as you go along – not form big lumps or become unmanageable. Scientifically speaking, overmixing the batter toughens and strengthens the gluten in the flour, which won’t yield fluffy and light bakes. It is easier to prevent overmixing when you mix the dry and wet ingredients separately and then put the dry into the wet.
The science curse here will have a less effect on you since oat flour is gluten-free. But hey, it’s always advisable to build up good practice!
Thereafter, let the batter sit in for 10-15 mins so that the oat soaks up the moisture and your waffles turn out crispier.
Step 7
Meanwhile, get your wafflemaker ready. Heat it up and spray some cooking oil/butter to make sure your batter doesn’t stick. Once it is hot enough, pour the batter and keep calm while your waffles crisp up to a beautiful golden. Remember not to be greedy and pour a hell lot of batter on the iron – it will just overflow from the edges. Try to even out the batter on the surface to get geometric waffles that don’t trigger your OCD.
Step 8
You want your waffles crispier?
- Don’t forget the cornstarch.
- Replace butter with coconut oil. (Scientific explanation: Thinner batter leads to crispier waffle, and hence the use of liquid fat)
You want more taste in your waffles?
- Add chocolate chips
- Add chopped up walnuts or pecans
- Add blueberries
Step 9
Finally, after you’ve managed to not burn your hand and taken the waffles out on a plate, top it up with whatever you like. Common options include blueberries, sliced bananas, maple syrup, honey, whipped cream. Uncommon options include bacon.
Bon Appétit! Dig in already!
Thank you!
[…] have mentioned this in my previous post on Banana Oat Waffles and I shall reiterate it here : Mix your dry and wet ingredients separately! The dry ingredients […]
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