This week is National Waffle Week! For much longer than anyone can really remember, waffles have been enjoyed for breakfast. They are a sweet, toasted treat found at the breakfast table, restaurants, in the freezer section and numerous cookbooks. People can be found enjoying them with a traditional butter and maple syrup topping, adding chocolate chips, peanut butter, fruit or whipped cream to the top, or even skipping the topping all together and enjoying it as a breakfast sandwich. This week I am going to explore the history of the waffle and share a preparation or two you may not have thought of before. Food historians trace waffles back to ancient Greece. Cooks roasted flat cakes between two metal plates attached to a long wooden handle. The cakes were known as obelios and weren’t particularly sweet or decadent, but their design evolved over time as people began customizing the plates. In Medieval Europe, the Catholic Church made a large, unleavened wafer as a sort of companion to the communion wafer. These oublies (or “wafers,” derived from the Greek term) were typically made using grain flour and water, and would depict Biblical scenes, crosses, and other religious icons. They were often served after meals as a symbolic final blessing according to the Oxford Encyclopedia. After the church gave artisans permission to make their own oublies, designs multiplied to include family crests, landscapes, and numerous other artistic flourishes. As the Crusades and other ventures abroad brought back spices like cinnamon and ginger, cooks began to liven up their oublie batter. Cream, honey, and butter made their way into the mix, as did leavening agents that made the wafers thicker and doughier. Irons became deeper, and gradually the wafer became the wafel, or the gaufre, as the French called it. Around the 15th century, Dutch wafelers began using rectangular instead of circular plates, forging them into a grid pattern. Sources aren’t clear on why, exactly, this grid pattern developed—some say it emerged naturally from the forging process, while others say it offered a way for artisans to cook less batter over a greater surface—but regardless, it was the precursor to the modern waffle’s design. Waffles weren’t a breakfast food originally but rather a between-meals snack or a dessert. They weren’t served with maple syrup, either. The French bought them from street vendors and ate them by hand, while the Dutch enjoyed them in the afternoons along with tea and chocolate. It wasn’t until waffles came toAmerica, courtesy of the Dutch, that they were finally paired with maple syrup, a popular liquid sweetener which was cheaper and more widely available than granulated sugar, which had to be imported. It took a little longer still for them to become a mainstream food. In 1869, Cornelius Swartwout of Troy, New York patented the first stovetop waffle iron making it much easier to cook waffles at home. Twenty years later, the Pearl Milling Company came out with the first commercial pancake and waffle mix, which it calledAunt Jemima. These two innovations brought waffles into thousands of American homes, and with the introduction of General Electric’s electric waffle iron in 1918, they quickly became a must-have addition to the modern kitchen. Three brothers from California further revolutionized the industry by starting a business in their parent’s basement. In 1932, Frank, Anthony, and Samuel Dorsa developed the first dry waffle mix that only required milk to produce a thick, delicious batter. In the early 50’s though Frank, turned the industry on its head once more. He developed a carousel-like contraption that could turn out waffles by the thousands. These waffles were frozen and sold at the grocery stores as Eggos. Fun facts: Thomas Jefferson, loved waffles so much he brought four waffle irons fromAmsterdam back from his time in France in 1789, and regularly served waffles at Monticello along with other shockingly modern foods like ice cream, French fries, and macaroni and cheese. The World’s Record for the largest waffle weighed 110 lb 3.68 oz and was created by Stichting Gouda Oogst in Nieuwe Markt, Gouda, Netherlands, on June 29, 2013. The waffle had a diameter of 8 ft. 1.24 in. Patrick Bertoletti holds the record for eating the most waffles. He ate 29 waffles in ten minutes in 2007, beating fellow eating champion, Joey Chestnut in the World Waffle Eating Championships. So this weekend, join me in making waffles for breakfast or dinner, why restrict ourselves to eating at a certain time of day! Break out of the box and make a savory waffle dinner. Make your grocery list and meet me in the kitchen!

Buttermilk Waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour 2 Tbsps. sugar 2 tsps. baking powder 1 tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 2 cups buttermilk, well-shaken 1/4 cup unsalted sweet cream butter, melted 2 large eggs Warm the oven to 250°F. Set a wire metal cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and place in the oven. (You can also toast waffles directly on the oven rack, if you prefer.) Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and butter. Whisk in the eggs. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour. Continue gently stirring just until you see no more streaks of dry flour. Cover the batter with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for at least five minutes while you warm the waffle iron. The waffle iron is ready when a drop of water sizzles on contact with the griddle. Brush the waffle iron with melted butter or spray with cooking spray. Scoop 1/3 to 1/2 cup of batter into each grid of the waffle iron and cook until golden, according to your waffle iron's instructions. When the waffles are done, transfer them to the cooling rack on the baking sheet in the oven. Place them in one single layer so that they crisp evenly on top and bottom, and so steam isn't trapped between layers. Let them toast for 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer each batch of waffles to the oven as they are ready. Waffles that have been toasting for a few minutes can be stacked to make room for the following batches. Serve the waffles as soon as all batches are made and crisped. Let leftover waffles cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat briefly in the toaster until warmed and crisped. Note: the oven toasting is not necessary. I just prefer my waffle with a crunch and the waffle maker just doesn’t seem to do the trick.

Recipe adapted from simplyrecipes.com

Sweet Potato Waffles

Bonus: These are gluten-free! 1 cup almond flour 2 Tbsps. coconut flour ½ tsp baking soda ¼ tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon ½ tsp nutmeg ½ cup cooked, mashed sweet potato 2 eggs 1 ½ tsps vanilla bean paste 2 Tbsps. maple syrup ½ Tbsp melted coconut oil ⅓ cup almond milk Preheat your waffle iron. Spray liberally with cooking spray or brush with melted butter before adding batter. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (everything through the nutmeg). Whisk together all the other (wet) ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until combined. Let batter rest for 5 minutes. Pour the batter (it will be on the thicker side) onto the waffle iron and cook according to the directions on your waffle maker.

Recipe adapted from runningtothekitchen.com .

Black Forest Waffles

4oz chocolate of choice, I usually use the morsels, but you can use chocolate bars or some other small chocolate candies if you’d like. 1 cup unsalted sweet cream butter, cut into small cubes 1 ½ cups flour 1 tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 4 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1 tsp vanilla bean paste ½ cup milk ½ cup heavy whipping cream 2 Tbsps. powdered sugar 1 21oz can cherry pie filling Preheat waffle maker. Melt chocolate with butter. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a stand mixer or with electric beaters, beat eggs and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes. While the mixer is running, slowly add the melted chocolate and beat to combine. Add vanilla and milk. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Spread the batter on the waffle iron and bake waffles as recommend in your waffle maker until outside is starting to crisp. (I sprayed my waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray before cooking each waffle.) Whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until it forms soft peaks. Top each waffle with a dollop of pie filling, whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Recipe adapted from barbarabakes.com

Funfetti Waffles

1 box Funfetti cake mix 1 cup water ⅓ cup oil Preheat waffle iron. Mix together the cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl until well combined. Pour batter into waffle maker and cook for according to the waffle maker instructions. Serve with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup for a fun dessert.

Recipe adapted from bunsinmyoven.com

Pizza Waffles

1 pound pizza dough 1/2 cup pizza sauce, divided 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese, divided Canadian Bacon, or pizza toppings of your choice Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Roll pizza dough to 1/2-inch thickness on a flat work surface. Cut dough into 16 rounds using a 2-inch cutter. Press rounds out with your fingers until each measures about 3 inches across. Spoon 1 teaspoon pizza sauce into the center of 8 rounds. Top each with 2 teaspoons mozzarella cheese and 1 slice of pepperoni. Cover with remaining 8 rounds, pressing around edges to seal. Cook the sealed rounds, in batches, on the preheated waffle iron until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes. Note: you can also just make regular waffles using the buttermilk recipe above as a crust. Then just top with cheese and meat to make a pizza!

Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com .

Potato, Egg and Cheese Waffles

1 ⅓ cup of frozen hash browns 1 egg 3 pieces of pre-cooked bacon, diced ¼ cup of shredded Mexican blend cheese, more or less to taste Salt and pepper to taste Preheat waffle iron. In mixing bowl, combine potatoes, egg, bacon, cheese and salt and pepper. Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Spoon potato mixture into waffle wells. Let waffles cook about 5 minutes. Check for doneness, you want the waffle to be golden brown and cooked through.

Recipe adapted from scatteredthoughtsofacraftymom.com