I saw this recipe for Pizza Waffles and thought it was such a cute idea. And it is a cute idea, but they didn't really come out tasting as I expected/hoped—that is, like pizza in a different format. But everyone liked them well enough, except for Pete (which makes no sense because he just vacuums up his food without bothering to taste it).
The other fly in the ointment was that my waffle maker, which I've used exactly once (kinda forgot we had it after that), decided to just die about halfway through my big bowl of batter. No red light, no green light, no nothing. So, undaunted, I made the rest into Pizza Pancakes, which I agree seems even weirder than Pizza Waffles.
Not my greatest night in the kitchen, that's for sure, but these were kind of delicious in their own way, and I think a few tweaks could turn them into something really special. One thing is, I think they definitely need more melty, gooey cheese. Or I could go in a different direction, like these Ham and Cheese Waffles, which look splendid. Oh, but wait, first I have to buy a new waffle iron. Dang.
The recipe says it makes 6 or 7 waffles, but I can't vouch for that because of the unplanned switch to pancakes, but I did make a double batch and had way too many pancakes left over. Julie says she will eat them, because she is agreeable that way.
Pizza Waffles
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoon dried oregano
1½ teaspoon dried basil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
½ cup shredded mozzarella
½ cup grated Parmesan
½ cup finely chopped pepperoni
2 large eggs
1½ cups milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Tomato sauce, for serving
Preheat the waffle iron. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, and garlic powder and whisk until blended. (Note: I don't buy dried basil, so I used a little less oregano and then made up for it with some dried Italian herb blend, which has basil in it. I also subbed black pepper for the red pepper to protect my children's tender tongues.) Add the cheeses and pepperoni and mix to coat with the flour mixture (this helps avoid clumping).
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, and oil. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and whisk just until combined, taking care not to overmix.
Grease the hot waffle iron. Pour about ½ cup batter into the waffle iron and cook until the waffles are golden and the cheese is melted (3 to 5 minutes, depending on your waffle iron). Repeat with the rest of the batter. Serve with warm tomato sauce for dipping.
Any feeling about pizza residue being left on the iron? I would not want pepperoni to flavor my next batch of sour milk waffles at breakfast . . .
Posted by: Wendy | January 29, 2014 at 05:21 PM
That was my thought too--I wouldn't want my regular waffles to taste like pizza!
Posted by: Elena | January 29, 2014 at 05:53 PM
Nope—I sprayed top and bottom with nonstick spray and the waffles popped right out. (Of course, then I had to throw away the entire waffle iron...!)
Posted by: Karen | January 29, 2014 at 06:14 PM