It was two friendly Atlanta, Georgia, neighbors who got together in 1955 to build the first Waffle House in their eventual 1,479-restaurant chain. With the dimpled breakfast hotcake as a signature item (and this is 3 years before IHOP was founded!), the privately held chain grew into 20 Southern U.S. states. Today tasty food at rock-bottom prices, plus 24-hour-a-day service, makes Waffle House a regular stop for devoted customers any time of the day or night. And don’t even think about referring to your server as a waitress; they’re called “associates.” For the best clone of the 50-year-old secret formula for these waffles you really should chill this batter overnight in the fridge as they do in each of the restaurants. But hey, sometimes you just can’t wait. If you need instant gratification, the recipe still works fine if you cook up the waffles the same day. At least wait for 15 to 20 minutes after you make the batter so that it can rest and thicken a bit. That’ll give you time to dust off the waffle iron and heat it up.
MAKES: 6 WAFFLES
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 egg
- ½ cup plus I tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- ½ cup half-and-half
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup buttermilk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Combine flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
- Lightly beat the egg in another medium bowl. Add the sugar, butter, and shortening and mix well with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the half-and-half, milk, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture while beating. Mix only briefly. It’s okay if there are small lumps in the batter since overbeating could produce waffles that are too tough.
- Cover and chill overnight. (You can use batter right away if you like, but a good 12-hour chill makes a better batter.)
- Rub a light coating of vegetable oil on your waffle iron or use a non-stick oil spray. Preheat the waffle iron. Leave the batter out of the refrigerator to warm up a bit as your waffle iron is preheating.
- Spoon ⅓ to ½ cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the waffles are brown
