Gluten-free and vegan pumpkin waffles made with [g-f] oat flour and maple syrup that are perfect for fall even if you’re stuck in the land of endless summer.
[Beach, Casablanca, October 2014.]
I have a nice post in the works for a really stellar beet soup (yes — beet soup. I didn’t believe it either.) but first: we are currently experiencing sort of an endless summer vibe here in Casablanca which despite the calendar telling me it’s November 3 is throwing my internal compass off a bit. I haven’t lived in Southern California but I imagine it’s somewhat the same, minus the horses on the beach I suppose. I never thought I’d be looking forward to rain but I am and there is hope it may arrive tomorrow morning.
To help us get into the fall spirit I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for a Halloween party last week as well as a loaf of the pumpkin-maple bread from Flourless. Truth be told I had a rather large can of pumpkin to finish off and Saturday morning had me up early and thinking about how to use it. Pancakes seemed the obvious choice but, I don’t know, I hadn’t pulled out the waffle iron in far too long so — why not? For ‘fun’ I decided to make my pumpkin waffles not only vegan but gluten-free as well, relying upon oat flour as their base.
Waffles for me are a guilty pleasure of sorts and why I experimented with the vegan angle here (trying to up the health factor just slightly). My very favorite recipe is Marion Cunningham’s yeasted waffles and I still consider it the gold standard. However, you have to plan ahead to make up the batter and let it rest overnight in the fridge. While I am pretty good at organizing myself in advance because of a) presence of small child in my life and b) where I live — damn. Sometimes you want to be spontaneous. I’ll get more complicated the next time.
These waffles are quite good and took me the space of Sierra’s breakfast (wheat toast with peanut butter, yogurt, prune compote) to put together which is another point in their favor. She rambled around the kitchen as I made coffee and heated the waffle iron and we taste-tested together. Verdict: possibly because of the lack of butter and/or yeast each waffle must be cooked a little longer than their more traditional counterparts (that first one was a bit stodgy and I was initially disappointed to think I’d wasted my precious organic oats for a dud. Fortunately the next round was much better.) They cook up nice and crisp when you give them enough time with a goodly pumpkin-y punch that feels just right for fall.
Currently I have a pot of sliced pears on the stove for sauce and come to think of it some lightly sauteed pears and toasted walnuts would make a lovely topping the next time I attempt waffles on a Saturday morning. Persimmons, too, would be wonderful, or a sprinkling of pepitas. Despite this endless sun and warm weather I am clutching on to fall with both hands.
You may use any gluten-free flour here but I love the whole-grain oats. I also think using a bit of almond flour would lend itself well as a flavor complement.
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds plus 6 tablespoons water
1 cup pure pumpkin
1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil (liquid)
2 cups gluten-free oat flour (or a combo of 1 1/2 oat flour + 1/2 cup almond flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
In a medium bowl, whisk the flax seeds into the water and let stand for 10 minutes. When flax has congealed a bit, whisk in the pumpkin, almond milk, maple syrup, and coconut oil.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry to form a thick batter.
Heat your waffle iron according to its directions. Note: mine has 5 settings and I put it on the highest setting.
Scoop the appropriate amount of batter into the waffle iron to thinly cover the waffle iron base (thin is key. I used about 1/4 cup batter per waffle.).
Cook until waffle becomes crisp (it will take a bit longer than a normal waffle).
Serve hot with lots of maple syrup. Some sauteed persimmons would also be very nice.
[…] PUMPKIN, right?! Tis the season! I don’t eat gluten-free or vegan, but this version of Pumpkin Waffles!!?…. I’m so […]
Nice photos and nice post…..always a pleasure to read your blog!