The Mistake That's Ruining Your Breakfast Waffles

There are a lot of great breakfast options, but there's nothing quite like taking the time to mix up a batch of light, fluffy waffles. Whether you're jazzing up those waffles with the addition of a little malted milk powder to trying something completely different, like some delicious carrot waffles with mascarpone cream and roasted pineapple, weekend brunch never sounded so good.

There are a lot of mistakes that are easy to make when stirring up a batch of waffles, and speaking of stirring, let's talk about that part of the process. It's tempting to take a few extra minutes to make sure you have everything nicely incorporated, but it's possible to over-mix — to devastating consequences. If you've ever wondered why your waffles came out chewy and tough, there's a good chance that you over-mixed your batter. 

It's really easy to do, especially because you might be tempted to keep stirring to get rid of all those lumps — but some lumps are okay. Working the batter changes the structure of the gluten, and that's what gives baked goods structure and elasticity. In some cases — like bread — you want that. In waffles? Not so much. Over-mixed, overworked batter leads to chewy waffles, but there are some tips for making sure that doesn't happen.

It's true that you want to get everything incorporated into your waffle mix, but remember, if there's only a few lumps, you're fine to leave them. However, there's a pretty brilliant way to help make sure you minimize those lumps in the first place, and that's to warm liquid ingredients before mixing them. That means less mixing to achieve that smooth batter, which is exactly what you want. Although it might be tempting to beat that waffle batter to speed up the process a bit, don't — stir gently, and your waffles will be better for it.

Here's another tip for speeding up the mixing: If your waffle recipe calls for egg whites, take a few minutes to whip them into a soft, foam-like consistency — but don't whip them so long that they get stiff. The end result will be fluffier waffles, and you'll also be giving yourself a head start on mixing. With these tips in mind, you'll never suffer through a batch of chewy waffles again.