Breakfast of Champions - minimal glutamate (as opposed to "gluten free") waffles and "uncured" bacon. Best thing for folks with autoimmune disorder. (The symptoms will get worse as long as you eat too much glutamic acid / glutamate.)
Because the United States says that "uncured" means "free of nitrates and nitrites", rather than "unpreserved" - it's loaded with salt and other preservatives. I soak the bacon in water for a half-hour to get most of that crap out of it.
And here's the recipe for the waffles:
pancake / waffle batter (works best for waffles):
makes about three cups of batter, which translates into three eight-inch round waffles.
Read this through before you start so you can get things set up in advance of having to manipulate the stuff.
mix these dry ingredients well with a whisk in a small (e.g., 1 to 2 qt.) mixing bowl:
- add 2 oz Namaste brand bake-mix ("Gluten Free Perfect Blend Flour") or equivalent (or 2 tbs of potato or corn starch while adjusting the total rice flour content to two cups).
- add 1/4 tsp of baking soda
- add 1/2 tsp Bob's Red Mill brand baking powder (choice of brand is due to the lack of aluminum in the mixture)
- add 1/2 tsp "oatmeal spice mixture"*
THEN
- add 1.75 cups of brown rice flour on top of all that without mixing it in (a delay factor so that you don't activate the lemon juice/baking soda reaction too soon). Substitute one cup of buckwheat flour for that of the rice flour if you like that flavor - it will add more glutamate, but not an excessive amount given the relative volume of the ingredients.
When you get around to pouring the liquid ingredients on top of the rice flour you can mix it all in from top to bottom, so the acid in the liquid won't hit the NaSO4 at the bottom of the mixing bowl until last - this preserves more leavening action, so you don't get the science-fair volcano effect right off the bat (which wastes its ability to make bubbles in the waffles).
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In a separate 2-cup measuring cup:
- add 2 oz neutral vegetable oil; swish it around to to coat the walls as well as the floor of the container - that helps the mixture flow better rather than adhering to the sides of the container.
- emulsify 2 whole eggs into the oil with the whisk until thoroughly blended (I find the size labelled as "extra large" to be best)
- add 1.5 oz. honey or 2 oz. dark corn syrup and blend again
- add 2 oz lemon juice, and blend again
- add sufficient water to come to 2 cups of liquid total, normally about one cup (be sure not to add any other liquid except the water); then add an additional 2 oz. of water.
Mix the liquid ingredients thoroughly.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl while whisking quickly and vigorously. If you work it too long, you lose the bubbling effect of the acid/alkaline reaction because you'll pop the bubbles. The reaction is more a function of time than mixing, so the faster you can get it all mixed up, the better. But it does have to be thoroughly mixed or you'll have powder in the bottom of the bowl that didn't get incorporated which means the rest of the mixture will be too runny. (People who talk about "not overbeating" the mixture don't explain what's meant by that, but it specifically does not mean "being gentle" - what's needed is very vigorous, if not aggressive, beating with a whisk, as quickly as possible.)
Let the mixture set for a bit while you heat up your pan - the volume of the batter will increase about 50% because of the bubbles. Heat the waffle iron or a small (6") well-seasoned cast-iron skillet using a low-medium (setting number 3 out of 10 on the stove) while the batter is setting (probably about ten to fifteen minutes). (Though I don't actually recommend this recipe for pancakes.)
When the pan is hot and the batter has completed its bubbling phase development, add a cup or so of the batter to the center of the pan and cook for four to five minutes on each side (or until the waffle iron stops steaming). Using butter makes the edges crispy and browns the surface, so add a pat of butter as you're flipping the pancake or in the waffle grid before pouring the batter in, if you like those qualities and can stand the extra fat. Bacon grease works well, as well, though it doesn't brown the same way, but it has a different flavor that I find pleasing. The extra fat is not necessary in a well-seasoned cast iron or nonstick pan (or waffle grids), but will be necessary otherwise to avoid the food getting too stuck in. The corn syrup in the batter contributes to the stickiness, by the way, but I think it necessary to the recipe because it provides a crispier texture.
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*Oatmeal Spice Mixture (measure by weight or volume - consistency is all that matters):
1 oz black pepper
2 oz cloves, ground;
2 oz cinnamon, ground;
2 oz nutmeg or allspice, ground (those are not inconsistent, add both if you want the oatmeal to have sort of a "spice cookie" flavor);
2 oz cardomom, ground;
1 oz tsp salt
Good for flavoring oatmeal, cookies, waffles, cakes, etc.
Last edited by dlhawes; 09-19-2021 at 04:43 AM.
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