What I Liked
I often like whipping up a batch of pancakes for my son in the mornings. Recently, I had a brother move across the country and I inherited his waffle iron. It was a wedding gift he had received, and it had never been used. Since then, I have had waffles on the brain. As I was perusing “Mrs. Lincoln’s Boston Cookbook”, I came across this waffle recipe and realized I absolutely had to give this vintage waffle recipe a try.
I loved the ease and simplicity of this recipe. I loved the chew of the waffle and the sweet syrup drizzled on top. The flavor was slightly eggy, and I liked that. Overall, I will definitely make this recipe again.
Original Vintage Waffle Recipe
Waffle recipe
1 pint flour.
1 teaspoonful baking powder
1/2 teaspoonful salt
3 eggs.
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tablespoonful melted butter.
Mix in the order given; add the beaten yolks of the eggs with the milk, then the melted butter, and the whites last. Serve with butter, or syrup, or caramel sauce.
Lemon Syrup Recipe:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoonful butter
1 tablespoonful lemon juice
Boil the sugar with the water until it thickens slightly. Add the butter and lemon juice. Serve as soon as the butter is melted.
Updated Method
The syrup was good, but lacked strong lemon flavor. If I were to do this again, I’d double the lemon juice. I’d also grate in some lemon zest as well to brighten the syrup and make it unmistakably clear that it was a lemon syrup. As it is written, the recipe has a hint of lemon, I just feel it could be more pronounced.
There also isn’t any sugar in the waffle batter itself. One thing I have noticed is that recipes from the 1800’s aren’t as sweet as we would expect them today. I felt the waffle cooked up just fine, and my five year old devoured it. However, if you want your waffles slightly sweeter add a few teaspoons to a tablespoon of sugar.
What I Learned
In the 1800s, making waffles was no easy ordeal. They had to bind the waffle plates together, put it on a frame in the fire, and turn it until done. It sounds like a pain. They also had to go to great lengths to grease the waffle plates properly. I stared at my waffle maker this morning with a new sense of gratitude at how easy it was going to be for me to whip up some waffles.
Often we take modern conveniences for granted. I go to the stove and flip a switch and it turns on. I don’t have to build a fire and wait for the fire to burn to the correct temperature. When I want waffles, I pull out the waffle iron and in a minute I have a griddle hot and ready. Mrs. Lincoln described the process for making successful waffles perfectly. I have a new respect for the people of her day who, on a whim, would whip up a batch of waffles for their loved ones.
Where I Found the Recipe
Mrs. Lincoln’s Boston Cook Book-What to Do and What Not To Do in Cooking 1883