From Lauren:
I found Danielle’s blog a few weeks ago, and I immediately began pinning all her recipes like a mad woman! Not only does this gal have a gorgeous blog with beautiful photography, her recipes are creative and straightforward. I excitedly asked her if she could guest post so I could introduce you all to her fantastic blog!
Hello everyone! My name is Danielle Rouse, and I am the author of FrespFive | Real Food, Fresh Ideas. I am so happy to be a here sharing a super delicious GAPS friendly Waffle Recipe with you. My husband and kids got me a waffle maker for Christmas this year. When Lauren asked me to be a guest writer and share a recipe with you, I knew just what I would make.
I was super excited to get the waffle maker because our youngest had been asking for Eggos after seeing a commercial on TV or something. He has never eaten an Eggo or waffle before, due to numerous allergies (he is 4 years old). Even the gluten free freezer brands have dairy or soy in them (which he is also allergic to) or a number of other preservatives that we avoid eating. This mama needed a waffle maker!
Before creating this recipe, I wasn’t that familiar with the GAPS diet (to be honest). I mean…I have seen it labeled all over, but never really looked into it. I had to look up some food lists to be sure I created an appropriate recipe. On FrespFive, I think most of my recipes could be easily adapted. For example, my Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, and Cranberry-Pumpkin Energy Balls would just need the maple syrup swapped out for honey.
When reading up on what a waffle’s consistency *should* be, I discovered having a crisp outer layer over a light and airy inside was the key to success. I played with this recipe a few times; more or less egg, oil etc, and I think I have achieved the perfect batter that is nut-free and starch-free.
I want to stress the importance of not skipping the step that requires you to separate the eggs and whisk the whites. I know it is an extra bowl and an added step (that I have been known to skip myself in recipes) but I found it really important in achieving that light airy inside.
Of course you could top these waffles with anything. Here, I chose to use slightly poached apples, honey and toasted pumpkin seeds.
Note from Lauren: See a tutorial for making sunflower seed flour here.
Grain Free Apple Cinnamon Waffles Ingredients - ⅔ cup sunflower seed flour
- 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 room temperature eggs separated
- ⅓ cup apple sauce
- ¼ cup coconut oil liquefied
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons of honey
Instructions - In a medium bowl combine the sunflower seed flour, coconut flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Whisk with a fork to be sure the baking soda is evenly distributed.
- In a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks, apple sauce, coconut oil, vanilla, lemon juice and honey.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until stiff. Gently fold in the egg whites into the batter.
- Pour into heated waffle iron.
Notes I have a round waffle iron that has 4 quarter triangle sections. The Cuisinart Breakfast Central.This recipe will make 2 whole round waffles. The waffles are delicate when hot. Use care when removing them from the iron. I cut out the 4 quarters and removed 1 quarter at a time. I set my waffle maker at level 2.
- ⅔ cup sunflower seed flour
- 2 Tablespoons coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 room temperature eggs separated
- ⅓ cup apple sauce
- ¼ cup coconut oil liquefied
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2-3 tablespoons of honey
- In a medium bowl combine the sunflower seed flour, coconut flour, baking soda and cinnamon. Whisk with a fork to be sure the baking soda is evenly distributed.
- In a large bowl, mix together the egg yolks, apple sauce, coconut oil, vanilla, lemon juice and honey.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until stiff. Gently fold in the egg whites into the batter.
- Pour into heated waffle iron.
Poached Apple Topping Ingredients - Apples
- Desired cooking liquid (such as juice and water)
- Spices of your choice (cinnamon stick, cloves, vanilla bean, etc.)
Instructions - Slice desired amount of apples based on servings. Place them in a deep skillet. Cover the apples half way with liquid ( I used ½ orange juice, ½ water). Add in any seasoning you desire. For example; cinnamon stick, cloves, vanilla bean. Simmer until it reaches the desired tenderness.
- Apples
- Desired cooking liquid (such as juice and water)
- Spices of your choice (cinnamon stick, cloves, vanilla bean, etc.)
- Slice desired amount of apples based on servings. Place them in a deep skillet. Cover the apples half way with liquid ( I used ½ orange juice, ½ water). Add in any seasoning you desire. For example; cinnamon stick, cloves, vanilla bean. Simmer until it reaches the desired tenderness.
About Danielle
Danielle Rouse is the creative energy behind the allergy friendly recipe blog, FrespFive Real Food | Fresh Ideas. This mother of three has a passion for nutrition and is currently a studying to become a Registered Holistic Nutritionist at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. Danielle has become and expert at developing recipes to meet the complex dietary needs of her family. FrespFive hosts an array of family friendly recipes that are free of Gluten, Dairy, Soy, and Nuts. Find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Google +.
What brand of waffle maker did you use? I haven’t seen any that don’t have some objectionable content, i.e. heavy metals, Teflon, aluminum, etc. Thanks!
I’ve run into the same issue! I’ll ask Danielle what she uses.
Could go the cast iron waffle maker used in fire or on stove.
It is a Cuisinart Breakfast Central. It likely has those things in it. Use your best judgment…honestly something I didn’t think about, even though the rest of my cookware is free from those things….
In search I found this site for you.
http://www.toastercentral.com/waffles.htm
I guess just do your best to limit your exposure, if you can’t get your hands on a reuld from the 1940….my daily cookware if enameled cast iron, cast iron, or stainless. waffles are an occasional treat.
Yes, I agree. It’s not healthy to be completely obsessive about eating only pristinely-prepared food. (Well, in some cases– like periods of healing –that may be necessary.) But if you are healthy and follow a real food diet, then it is beneficial to occasionally break the rules!
When making the waffles, are the egg whites supposed to be beaten until stiff before added to the mixture? I read the instructions above several times to see if I missed that step. I was just wondering, because I have another grain-free recipe for muffins that calls for separating the eggs and then beating the egg whites to provide a lighter texture that is very similar to muffins made from regular wheat flour. I thought that might be the case with these waffles, too.
Yes, I’ve just fixed that in the instructions! Sorry for any confusion.
Just wondering if this recipe could be used for pancakes instead of waffles. I don’t have a waffle iron and don’t want to invest in one, but I’d love to try this recipe. If it can be used for pancakes, would I still need to whip the egg whites? And are any other changes needed?
Hi Carole,
I haven’t made these myself as pancakes, but I have read to alter a waffle recipe into a pancake recipe or the other way around…Waffles typically use more oil than pancakes need (to give the crisp outer layer) so maybe only just 1 -2 TBSP oil
I might still whisk the egg white to give it a bit of a lighter inside. I did find this recipe to be more dense than my other one with starch…
I would recommend, making the pancakes small and thin so they cook through the middle and on a low temp.
HTH
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Since going grain-free, I’ve found loads of great pancake recipes but nothing that can really stand up to the waffle maker. I’ll be trying these soon!
Danielle Walker with Against All Grain has a few great waffle recipes in her books! I love them.
Looking forward to trying this one soon.
Regarding the waffle maker, we had the same issue. I have two children who are extremely sensitive to toxins, but they love waffles. I didn’t want any non-stick anything in the house, even for “treats”. I purchased a cast iron waffle set, the kind many use for camping. It took a little work to learn the best rhythm for making the waffles, but they have a FAR superior crunchy outer crust! The iron is actually easier to clean and smaller to store. I double or even triple batches so that when I do decide to make waffles I freeze most of them to pop in the toaster for later. Seriously, don’t shy away from cast iron, its EASY and gives a wonderful crust! Plus added iron versus toxic chemicals.
Thank you for sharing!
I don’t own anything cast iron (yet) simply becuase the most popular brand of cast iron, Lodge, uses a soy-based vegetable oil to season their cast iron…and it’s likely GMO. I simply don’t want to go through the process of having to re-season it.
We used to live in a tiny apartment, I love waffles, but we had no more space to store an electric waffle iron, then I came across an antique on on ebay that flipped over heat. I found the same kind, at Lehmans.com. Basically they are a non electric homesteading and or Amish supply store.
http://non-electric.lehmans.com/search#w=waffle&modaf=rn:cat3:kitchen_cookware_cooking
Hi Lauren!
I notice quite a few of your recipes use maple syrup…I was wondering about your diet, you seem to be on GAPS? Have you chosen to make an exeption for maple syrup? I am just interested in your insights on this food 🙂 Thanks sweetie xo
I’m still on GAPS and so I’m avoiding the maple syrup right now. I just include it as an alternative to honey in many recipes so people know they have an option 🙂