It’s summer and you know what that means…
Road trip!
Well, not for me. I’m staying right here. But for many others, summer means packing up the old Family Truckster Chevy Chase style and hitting the road.
Living here on the banks of the Mississippi River in shadows of I-80, this area is a stop along the way, not the destination. The interstate is packed with campers and trailers, cars with bikes, canoes and kayaks strapped to the top, and minivans glowing with the blue light of DVD players in the back seat all on their way to somewhere other than here.
When I see a car with a plate from a far off, mythical land like, say, Vermont or Oregon, I always make a little story about where they’re headed and why. They’re headed to sunny Southern California to play Micky Mouse and Disneyland. They’re fulfilling a lifelong dream to chase tornadoes on the plains of Kansas and Oklahoma. They’re running off to join the professional rodeo circuit. I had a hard time coming up with something for the car with the plate from Hawaii I saw this past winter because all I could think was, DUDE. Bummer. Seriously.
I will say this town knows what people on the road are looking for. And that’s breakfast. The best part of the long road trip is breakfast! Around here, they do it up right. A slab of ham with a side of bacon and crispy home fries. With a cinnamon roll as big as your head to start off. This is the Midwest after all. You may just be passing through, but we’re gonna go ahead and make sure you take a little extra butt jiggle with you when you leave. 😉 Aw, go ahead. You’re on vacation.
Personally, I’d rather join the crowds of motel and camper dwellers at the local joint for breakfast as opposed to make my own. I don’t know. There’s just something about getting up early and dirtying my entire kitchen before noon that makes me cranky. However, I did get a waffle iron for Christmas, so I decided it was high time I make some waffles for breakfast – instead of drowning them with maple syrup at 6pm and calling them dinner like I’ve been doing for the last six months.
This recipe for yeasted waffles makes breakfast a snap. Know why? Because the dirtying up of all the dishes happens the night before! YES! Now that I can handle. A simple yeast batter is mixed up and stuck in the fridge until morning. All you have to do is roll out of bed, flip on the waffle iron (and the coffee maker) and hot, crispy waffles are just minutes away!
I’m not sure I’ve ever had a yeasted waffle before but I really like the results. The flavor is deeper and more complex. The texture is spot on. This time I topped my waffles with strawberries, some pineapple broiled with brown sugar (mmmm…) and a dollop of Greek yogurt to cut the sweetness.
If you’re stuck at home this summer like I am, take a vacation from time consuming breakfast and make these!
OVERNIGHT YEASTED WAFFLES (As seen at Erin’s Food Files and The Novice Chef, originally adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 3/4 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
- Stir together the flour, sugar, yeast, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add in the milk, eggs, oil and vanilla to the flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined. Cover the batter loosely with plastic wrap or a towel and chill overnight or up to 24 hours.
- Stir the batter before making the waffles. Follow the directions on your waffle maker and repeat until all the batter is gone. How many you get will depend on your maker. I have a large Belgian waffle maker and I got 5 large waffles. 🙂
Milk & Honey 