Buttermilk
1. In a clean quart jar, add 6-8 ounces cultured buttermilk.
2. Fill the jar with milk.
3. Shake.
4. Leave out at room temperature until the buttermilk has gotten thick and coats the sides of the jar, usually 8-12 hours.
5. Take out a portion to use for your next starter. Refrigerate.
Soaked wheat recipes make the wheat easier to digest and better for you. (For more details on soaking grains, check out Kitchen Stewardship.) When you soak your flour, you start the night before. It just takes a short amount of time, but helps a lot with the morning rush. You already know what you're having, and with a good hot breakfast all planned, you're less likely to reach for the packaged breakfast cereal.
Soaked Buttermilk Waffles with Orange Syrup
The night before:
In a large bowl, mix 2 cups wheat flour and 2 cups buttermilk.
The next morning, add:
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup melted butter
Mix well and cook in a hot waffle iron. You will notice the texture of the batter is a little different (gooey-er than regular waffles)-- don't be scared, when cooked the texture is just right. When you soak the flour the night before, it makes the waffles lighter, even though they are made with all whole wheat flour.
Orange Syrup
1 1/4 cups fresh orange juice (about 3 oranges)
1 Tbsp grated orange peel
4 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar
Blend all ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over med-high heat, stirring frequently, until thickened.
I like to juice and grate my oranges ahead of time and save them in baggies in the freezer. Then, I just thaw a pack and add the other ingredients in the morning. This has such a fresh citrus flavor- it is so good!
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This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday.
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The orange syrup sounds delicious!! We love buttermilk pancakes and I should try the orange syrup. You think I could make it with raw honey instead of sugar? I'm sure I could use raw sugar... also arrowroot would be a great alternative to cornstarch!
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it with honey, but I should! I think that would work. If you try it, let me know how it goes.
ReplyDeleteYummy. You should post your pumpkin muffins too, those were delish!
ReplyDeleteOkay I'm really excited to try these. I have been just recently experimenting with soaking, and am on the hunt for good soaked recipes for things we already love, like waffles. This intrigues me: "When you soak the flour the night before, it makes the waffles lighter, even though they are made with all whole wheat flour." Sounds like something my toddler will approve of! Thank you for the syrup recipe too!
ReplyDeleteI have never used buttermilk (that I can remember)... this will be an interesting experiment! I would be scared to leave milk out at room temp too long. How do you make sure no one gets sick from any of the milk recipes? I will try to be brave and make this recipe.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try this recipe, but I'm wondering the same things as Williams Family...do you leave the buttermilk/flour out over night? That makes me a little nervous, too. I guess I'm just confused about why it's okay to leave milk out for buttermilk but you're not supposed to drink milk that's been out too long. Can you enlighten me?
ReplyDeleteAlso, one more question...I'm new to the whole soaking idea. I grind my own wheat for flour, but I've always heard that if you don't use it soon after, it begins loosing it's nutritional value more and more the longer it's unused. For this recipe, do you use freshly ground wheat flour and soak it right away? What does the soaking do exactly? I'm just really curious...Thanks!
esherman10 & williams family, I guess I can understand your concern. My kids have left sippy cups full of milk out overnight and there is NO WAY I would let them drink those. They're rotten and stinky and gross! So, what's the difference with buttermilk? It all has to do with the culture that you add. Basically, you are fermenting the milk by adding lactic acid. You leave it out overnight to provide an environment where the lactic acid can multiply. (This is similar to the process that happens with yogurt, another fermented dairy product). Fermented dairy products have been around forever- I've heard estimates as long ago as 10,000 BC. Buttermilk is actually easier to digest than milk (those bacteria help do the job for you). And on a personal note, we have never gotten sick from using buttermilk! My father in law even drinks it straight. Once you make it, you will smell a difference. It has a sour/tart smell-- totally different than the rotten milk/old sippy cup smell I mentioned earlier.
ReplyDeleteI have heard also that it's best to use your wheat soon after grinding it. There are different opinions about how long though, and I've heard variations from immediately to 72 hours after grinding. I don't have a wheat grinder, but I have a friend who lets me use hers. I grind my wheat and refrigerate it and hope for the best! Maybe someday I can actually buy my own wheat grinder!
So, why soak at all? Wheat contains phytates. Phytates are an anti-nutrient. That means that during the process of digestion they go through your body and steals nutrients it finds just to help it digest. There is some controversy on this subject (is it really important to soak grains? is phytic acid all that bad? do our bodies even need grains at all?). For me, it boils down to this answer: from what I've read, it does make wheat easier to digest and more nutritious to soak or sprout (I'll be covering sprouting in another post). And I like to soak our wheat recipes because it makes them taste better. You know how wheat can be a little heavy sometimes? Soaking gets rid of that. Give it a try and see if you notice the difference!
I just started soaking this month, and I haven't had any health issues as a result of leaving the batter on the counter. The textures come out really moist. I look forward to trying the orange syrup.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe. We really enjoyed these!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked them! We just ate these yesterday morning ourselves. Good stuff!
ReplyDelete