So this morning I planned to make a scrumptious gluten-free pumpkin waffle that tasted like pie but was SO healthy. I was going to use the mighty Teff flour for the first time, as well as flax and very little butter. My arm was sore from mixing and my heart sank as the waffles toasted perfectly on the outside and corners… and were barely cooked in the middle.
What went wrong? I thought I had a healthy amount of things to make it rise, things to make it stick together, things to give it substance and lift. Hmm. Any suggestions are welcome! One thing I love about the cooking / baking / eating / blogging community is our shared knowledge. Should I have just added ALL the wet ingredients together and folded into the dry? Added an second egg? Taken out some of the pumpkin and replaced with a lighter liquid? Used simpler grains – no ground flax?
I must include my roommate liked them – but she admits to liking pancakes more than waffles. And if these were pancakes, they’d still have very little lift to them. And not as much flavor as I’d like.
Cheers – Jacqueline
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
- 1/2 cup sweet white sorghum flour
- 1/4 cup teff flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
- 1/4 cup ground flax seeds (flour)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp xantham gum
- 2 tsp cinnamon (I used one each of Chinese and Indonesian)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I highly suggest having nutmegs on hand and using a mircoplane grater to do this fresh)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 15oz can pumpkin puree
- 2 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
(Failed) Technique
- I blended the flours, starches and spices in a small bowl
- In a large bowl went the melted butter, egg, vanilla, pumpkin.
- I then deployed the “start and end with dry” method I’ve used for cakes: Into the pumpkin mixture I started folding in the dry ingredients, then the almond milk, than the dry ingredients, until all were incorporated.
- Proceeded to heat my waffle maker and cook as I usually do with success.
The Dusty Baker 
Work more air into it. Perhaps more egg less almond butter.
Set egg whites aside. Think making a souffle.
incorporate pumpkin and all other ingredients.
Whip egg whites stiff, (optional, with 1/4 tsp cream of tarter) just before folding into pumpkin batter.
I think you may have to cut the pumpkin in half- I also work gluten free (and dairy-free) and wether pancakes or muffins or quik-bread, I only use half a small can usually- you still get the pumpkin flavor, a moist texture…also, it may help to let it rest for ten minutes before cooking-lets the dough ‘rise’ in a way, lighten up with air bubbles…but I speak of pancakes, I have not tried with waffles, which seem to me to be much, much lighter than pancakes. Good luck- try it again! Let me know – pumpkin ANYTHING is worth making, in my book!
I would reduce the pumpkin and almond butter (my regular waffle recipe uses about 1/2 cup of melted butter AND increase your eggs to two or three. Separate the eggs and put the yolks with the wet ingredients. After you add the wet and dry ingredients, beat the whites until stiff peaks are formed – these go in at the end. Use a little at first to lighten your batter and then fold in the remaining whites.
Thanks for all the advice – I meant 1 1/2 cups of almond MILK, not butter, so laughed when I read the suggestions with a big ??? on my forehead!
I think halving the pumpkin is a good idea, as well as beating the egg whites. Beating egg whites is one of my FAVORITE things to do when baking :) so even if it fails it’ll be fun.
I’ll let you know how the next batch comes out!