Crema Rye Waffles

by Jennifer Lapidus

As a quick test to check flavor and texture of our flours, I make waffles. This one is made with our Crema Wren's Abruzzi Rye flour, a flour that was a wonderful miller's mistake. We were milling whole rye one day and forgot to close the gate to the bucket elevator (which delivers whole grain flour into the sifter or bolter). The finest screens happened to be in the bolter at the time and so we ran the whole rye flour though and produced this highly sifted rye flour. I sent the flour home with Tara, who was working with me that day, and she came back with an amazing pastry-- some dreamy shortbread wonder with lemon curd and mascarpone... We hope to get her to post that recipe  here eventually, but for now, I present Crema Rye Waffles....

Crema Rye Waffles:

1 cup Crema Wren's Abruzzi RYE flour

1T granulated sugar

1/2t baking soda

1/4t sea salt

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup yogurt

1 egg

1t pure vanilla extract

1/4 cup + 1 T grapeseed or vegetable oil

Combine dry ingredients and set aside. Whisk together milk, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Crack egg into a separate bowl and beat, then combine with milk mixture. Whisk oil into milk/egg mixture. Pour wet ingredients into dry. I like to begin mixing with a spatula, as if I were blending stiff egg whites into flour, just slowly incorporating. Once the batter is fairly incorporated, I use a whisk, making sure there are no flour lumps. Let batter rest for 5 minutes.

Preheat waffle maker to your brand's specification. With this flour I aim for a medium to medium high heat, but it's a feel thing and it is also subject to your waffle maker. Pour batter onto preheated waffle iron and close lid. My waffle maker beeps to indicate when it's done. With these rye waffles, I usually give another 30 seconds after the beep-- aiming for a golden crispness on the outside that is fully cooked on the inside. And very important --  open the waffle maker SLOWLY to ensure nothing sticks. There's a tenderness to these waffles and so they require a little extra care in handling. But they're worth it.