I dream of having a waffle iron. Seeing this recipe makes not having one rather painful, actually.

I’m happy to have come upon this post. I experimented with some whole grain waffles recently and didn’t have a whole lot of luck. I’ll use yours as a starting point when I experiment next time!

Miss my mum’s waffles. Though with a lot of butter is not healthy but I still want it.

I recently got a waffle maker from KaTom, a restaurant equipment store, and I have been searching for the best multi-grain waffle recipe since then. I think I have found it. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

I have been wanting to get that book – so glad to see this recipe. They look yummy. I bet the buttermilk really makes them tender.

can’t wait to try making these waffles!

Hi Heidi!
This and your scone post inspired me to pick up Good to the Grain, which I’ve had my eye on for awhile now.
Thank your for that–and to Kimberly Boyce. It’s such a lovely book.
I made the Huckle Buckle this weekend, and it was sooo good. I’m freezing most of it for a brunch next weekend.
I also made the Cherry Hazelnut Muesli and I am IN LOVE with it. I’ve had and made muesli many times before, but this one is by far the best. I totally recommend!
thanks for pointing all of us in her direction 🙂

This looks good!!
(I’d add some Nutella on top of it, is it bad?)

I haven’t used my waffle iron in the longest time. Thanks for the nudge. I need to whip up some strawberry butter to go with it and that will be the best breakfast ever!

thanx for a wonderful breakfast inspiration, yet again, heidi! made these this morning with a combination of soba (buckwheat) and wwp flours. topped them with homemade blueberry lavender syrup. can’t wait to get more oats so i can use oat flour next time!

waffles with a good sausage gravy,as a child on weekend mornings,what memories.

I just wanted to comment and let you know that I absolutely adore your blog. The recipes are nutritious, delicious and well-tested. I keep coming back because of that. I’ve linked to your blog on my blog, rosiegirldreams, in the sidebar. Thank you for all the hard work you put into your work at 101 cookbooks. It’s greatly appreciated.

I made these yesterday, and ended up with leftover batter, so I used it to make pancakes since they keep better as leftovers, and loved the pancakes even more! The flavors seemed to be more pronounced and I preferred the texture (denser, chewy). Thanks for another great recipe Heidi!

I used spelt, rye and oat flour plus added a pinch of ground cardamom. Worked really well, thanks for a great recipe!

We are always looking for healthy and interesting versions of waffles and these are going straight into the rotation. Why do I always use a measuring cup or ladle to scoop the batter into the waffle iron when I could be using a pitcher?

These look so amazing- I am lonely in that I am the only waffle-lover in my house. I have tried flax and cornmeal, both with great but very different results!

This recipe looks great! I have a wheat allergy and have made waffles and pancakes using alternative flours. Also consider using rice flour. Instead of jam, I take frozen mixed berries, cook them down to reduce the liquid and use this for a topping to minimize the sugar. It’s wonderful!!

Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! i made it with my husband and my 5-year old, and we loved it! I put 1/2cspelt flour and 1/2c whole wheat pastry flour in place of the barely flour.

having recently inherited a rather vintage waffle maker i’ve been looking for new receipes. i tried your receipe this morning sub W/W pastry flour and almond meal in place of barley and then 1/2 c of graham flour and 1/2 c of millet flour. i ran out of buttlermilk so i used comb of buttermilk and greek yogurt. i also made a mistake and put in a T of baking soda so i then added a T of baking powder and a bit of agave and vanilla extract. the thing rose itself in the bowl. the taste was heavently but it stuck to the waffle pan endlessly. i’m assuming it was my leavening agent fiasco? guess it wasn’t your receipe afterall. LOL. thanks for the jumping board and your fabulous blog!.

These look fabulous! Combined with an all natural fruit spread or blueberry syrup, these would be a big hit at our house. Thanks for the recipe.

I learned to make similar waffles from my Mom back in the 50’s, continuing the tradition with a few additions of my own, like spelt flour, toasted pecans, ground flax seeds and sometimes chia seeds. My Dad would grind the Spring wheat and spelt berries, Mom used buttermilk as well, often adding a good organic flat beer but she always beat the egg whites, eliminating the need for the BP and creating a wonderfully light whole grain waffle. And yes Blaine, buckwheat is a wonderful addition, one we never left out.

YUM! I am about to make my Saturday morning Spelt pancakes, and am wondering if spelt would work for these waffles?? Thank you!
HS: I think it might be good (in place of the barley flour, right?) – they might be a bit denser, and not quite as light or crisp – that would be might guess. But with whole grain flours, the one thing I’ve learned it, you never _really_ know until you try your ideas out. Let me know if/how it goes.

Your blend sounds yummy, and the poppy seeds are a nice idea. I LOVE cornmeal (medium stone ground) in waffles, as well as pancakes. I’d sub it for the rye flour here I think, but keep the poppy seeds for tons of texture.

Heidi, I have been wanting to put poppy seeds in just about everything lately…and I can always count on you to inspire another way to sneak them in. Thank you! And hey, mix and matched grains too. I’m seeing a vision of lemon curd cream on top of these…like, tomorrow.

Excellent choice for this post, I’m looking forward to trying it soon. I have been making pancakes using oat flour I grind myself which is a quick sub for wheat flour and has much more flavor. In addition, I use toasted flaxseed coarsely ground in the coffee grinder. It adds a nutty flavor much like pecans, plus all of the great nutritional benefits!

I have made waffles for years. They are a fave of mine. I love the multigrain. But have never tried it. I like to separate the eggs and whip the whites, then fold them in. They are light and fluffy. Yummy. Serve with fruit.

Do you have any suggestions for making this recipe egg-free and still have them come out as beautifully as you’ve made them here?

Wow! Lovely waffles. I love this so much. Thanks for sharing

Beautiful waffles. The poppy seeds are a nice touch.
I love the messes you made 🙂

Beautiful waffles. The poppy seeds are a nice touch.
I love the messes you made 🙂

Not having the array of flours that Heidi does, I made this using 1/2Cup each plain white flour, wholemeal flour, almond flour and oat flour (using oats that I ground down in my coffee grinder).
TASTY TASTY TASTY!
Nor do I have a waffle iron – but they turn into light airy piklets just the same.
Excellent with lemon curd or apple butter.

These look great! I am currently looking for a waffle maker, what kind do you use?
xo
Kris

I love the use of different types of flour and poppy seeds makes waffles more yummy! Must try for me .

I should clarify that the oat flour that I use is certified gluten free- not all oat flour is suitable for people who can not eat gluten.

I haven’t made waffles in so long! This is such a nice inspiration to pull out the iron.
I’m gluten free, so I often use a combination of a light buckwheat flour (the kind used to make ployes mentioned above), a local cornmeal, and some oat flour.
And I think that the addition of poppy seeds is brilliant. Thanks for the recipe, Heidi!

I made this recipe using a local Northwest flour. The wheat is grown by Nash Huber in Sequim and it’s milled fresh the day before you buy it at the market. The waffles were so yummy, but everything seems to be with this soft whole wheat flour. I will definitely check out this book because I love baking with whole grains.

This is very helpful information!! Thanks so much!!
🙂

This sounds like a great recipe with many possible variations. I have some buckwheat flour that i may need to use soon!
FYI – i recently bought boyce’s book, and so far have tried the currant scones and the buckwheat-pear pancakes. both are great!! my Hubs hated the pancakes, but i think he isn’t used to buckwheat, and they are definitely more “cakey” than some pancake recipes – next time i’ll thin them out more and see if he likes them then!

Perfect timing for the weekend! Thanks!
Heidi, I absolutely can not wait for your new book to come out. I’ve cooked everything from Super Natural cooking at least 3 times. Everything! Any cookbook updates? Any pre-orders? Have a good weekend!
HS: I’m hoping to post an update soon 🙂 And I’ll be sure to give a heads up when pre-ordering is available. I suspect it will be later this summer, but that is just a guess.

I love adding poppy seeds to my waffles and pancakes…it creates such a unique eye (and palate) pleasing dish…

Lately I’ve been thinking so much about making waffles!!! I love how this recipe includes poppyseeds!!!

It’s funny, but since I lack a great part of the sense of taste, I have zero options for doing this. I haven’t no idea if something is going to work or not.

these sound lovely! would it be possible to make these as pancakes, since i don’t have a waffle iron? i’m not sure if I would need to add more/less liquid to make pancakes out of this batter.
and for the chatter who mentioned Durum Atta, that is what we use in India to make chappati, roti, poori, etc. it is a soft whole wheat flour and is very versatile. i use it in place of chickpea flour all of the time (make sure you store it properly though….if air gets to it, it gets bitter. the fridge/freezer method is best). 🙂

My waffles are always a clean-out-the freezer affair too, involving many flours, but I have never tried barley or rye flour. I’ll give them a try. One thing I always throw in is cornmeal, preferably coarsely ground, from Bob’s Red Mill, for texture and flavor.

I so wish these were in my house today! I was craving waffles this morning! these look great!

I’m currently without my waffle maker, but love the sound of these. I picked up a copy of Boyce’s book a few weeks ago and am loving it! Just made some of the Rye Dough which I plan to turn into rustic fruit tartlettes.

I like to add a little flax meal and almond meal to my whole wheat waffles and pancakes. Usually about tablespoons each for a six-waffle batch. It’s delicious and nutty!

I’m so glad to see I’m not the only one who gets waffle batter everywhere–every time I make waffles I try so hard not to overflow the iron or get it all over the counter—or mysefl–but if a professional chef gets it every where too then I think that is just part of the wonderful goodness of waffles 🙂 LOVE the multigrain waffles by the way! And I love your site!

thank you for this–I’d love to start incorporating a greater variety of grains into our meals.
I’ve tried making whole wheat versions of things, but it’s quite tricky as you know. I’m assuming–or do you know–I whether other flours are more readily available in whole-grain versions–like oatmeal, barley, or rye. I’ve always heard that “multi-grain” doesn’t have to equal “whole grain” but maybe, if you use certain flours, it nearly always does?

Waffles are not as popular here in Oz as they are in the US.
Hmmm, maybe I could work on changing that!?

My husband loves to make multigrain waffles with WW pastry flour, cornmeal and rolled oats. I heat up berries on the stove and whip some cream, and one waffle (generously topped, of course) can get me through half of my day without a pang of hunger!!

I am glad to see someone using various flours, etc. as it has been my experience that they can make a world of difference in the flavor of the finished dish.
I have also added ground flax seed into mine, to get the added benefits and even that adds another distinctive taste that blends well with waffles.
Thanks again for the recipe. I always look forward to your RSS feeds announcing your posts!
~MaggieB

I love the almost-alchemy in mixing the various flours. It certainly takes an experienced touch to do it well.

yes! oh, you’ve read my mind, somehow. we inherited a crotchety old waffle maker and i’ve had my eyes peeled for a somewhat virtuous recipe.

My wife of 61 years, who does the baking while I do the rest of the cooking, has begun using Durum Atta flour, which is a total whole wheat flour. I bought it once on a whim to see how it would be, and Marie now uses it whenever or wherever WW flour is called for. Knowing the adventurous cook you are, after following you for this long, hear the 84 yr old ex chef who does all the cooking, and try a small bag! Actually we met 1947, more than 61 years! GREAT looking waffles!!
HS: Thanks for the suggestion Doug. Your approach to cooking/baking with your wife is inspiring – it’s so nice to know you are enjoying the site.

woo hoo! just got boyce’s book in the mail yesterday (thanks to your original figgy pinwheels post), and noticed these waffles right off the bat. i have rye flour, but no barley, but can whip up some oat flour in the vita mix asap. will definitely give these a go within a week. i do love giving my kiddos some fantastic, flavorful waffles.

These look incredible. I wish the weekend would hurry up so I can make them!

the waffles look so delicious. cannot wait to try. wondering how you think brown rice flour and oats would work out.

I do lots of multigrain lately. Looks delicious.

Hard to find a good, healthy waffle recipe!
I will try this. I usually make a double batch of waffles and freeze extra – they toast nicely in the toaster.

Thanks goodness this recipe came along. I now have a new reason to hit the spring garage sales in search of a mighty waffle maker.
And with a freezer fulll of berries, I can see this doughy delight coming to a plate in my house very soon. Thanks!
HS: Check the Goodwills too – I think they have them alongside the second-hand popcorn poppers 🙂

These waffles look wonderful. I think I would try chia seeds instead of poppies, mainly because I don’t have any poppies. 🙂
Jenn

This looks incredibly delicious! WOW

These look amazing. I have been making an herb flatbread with buckwheat & barley flour. I got the recipe from my mom and it’s divine. I noticed that I don’t feel exhausted after eating non-wheat flours, too. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to experiment & tweak:
1 cup buckwheat flour
1 cup barley flour
3 teaspoon salt (level – not heaping – even below level)
6 tablespoons olive oil (I used 2 tbp basil EVOO, 4 tbsp regular EVOO)
4 teaspoon dried Rosemary (or any other herb)
2 teaspoon dried dill
2 teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoon dried sage
2 teaspoon dried thyme
2.5 cup water
Mix all ingredients well leaving no lumps. It should be the consistency of thin pancake batter. Cover batter with a towel and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 450. Pour batter into two jelly pans (cookie sheet with edges) that have been very lightly (but entirely) sprayed with olive oil spray. Bake approximately 30 – 40 minutes – longer if pan is smaller. Turn heat down to 400 and bake for 15-25 more minutes – until middle is crispy. This is better if the pans are large enough for the batter to be very thin.
HS: Sounds delicous Jen, I’ll have to give this a go.

I’ve been fresh grinding oats and barley in a Magic Mill II for years, no wasting fridge space on flour. Then, cooking in a cast iron Andresen heart shaped waffle maker with naturally sweetened apple sauce on top.. Time to throw in some rye and poppy seeds to try this ! I like the hazelnut flour idea, too. Double or triple batches ensure quick toaster morning breakfasts by rack cooling and storing in a ziplock in the refrigerator.

Will have to make for kiddos….healthier version.

Hello Waffles! I think I am in love.

Can Soymilk be a substitue for Buttermilk, and what is a good replacement for butter?

This looks great (so does the book) but I’m gluten intolerant so barley and rye are out. ‘
I’m thinking ..hm, sorghum (sweet and nutty), teff, amaranth (sweet) as possible subs for some of the flours.
‘Jenny- your hazelnut flour sounds fabulous!! Also some of your other ideas. Chestnut flour might be good too- I’m going to check out the Alice Waters recipe.
I’ve thought on and off of getting Kim Boyce’s book ..sounds like most of it contains gluten but for the ideas and I’m good with adaptation (do most recipes have gluten in them?)

We make Sunday morning waffles every week-end at our house and I’ve been using the recipe from Alice Water’s book “The Art of Simple Food” – very similiar recipe to yours though without the poppy seeds, which I’m going to try next week. In addition to the flours you list, I like to use at least a quarter cup medium ground corn meal to the mix for crunch. I’ve used buckwheat, dark rye and oat flours as well as hazelnut meal/flour. I do keep all the flours in the fridge. I also found keeping an eye on the freshness of the baking powder makes a big difference as well. And nothing goes better with hot waffles than a really good quality maple syrup and berries.Thanks for sharing your waffle recipe.

wait, should I be storing my flour in the fridge? i didn’t know. what’s the scoop?

Could you use Kefir?

keep in mind that poppy seed consumption can result in positive test for opiates on a drug screen so don’t eat these on the morning of an employment physical…

I like the use of all the hearty grains in these waffles. I know I would like the taste, but I have to convert my hubby. Maybe the barley flour work work well for us if it keeps the waffles lighter in texture.

I love the idea of poppy seeds, but another very healthy addition to whole wheat waffles is 1/3 c of flax seeds. My family loves the crunchiness of them in the heavier weight flour.
Love your ideas, photos, recipes. I live with two meat eaters–and they love the recipes too–so you are doing something right! Thank you.

I just counted the other day and I have 26 different types of “flour” in my fridge/freezer/pantry. It’s a little out of control. Recipes like this are perfect to help me get through my stash!

I have a bag of quinoa flour that I have no idea what to do with. Any suggestions?

Can anyone recommend a good book or other resource for using different types of flours? I normally live in Chad (Africa), and I can buy lots of whole grains there which I grind into flours, but I never know the properties of the flour; like which I can use in breads and which have certain distinct flavors, etc. Thanks!

Looks good! But this post made me wonder- should I be keeping my flours in the fridge??? Oops!

I make healthy waffels all the time, and since Im gluten free, I use chickpea flour a lot! It is such a nice way to get protein and the taste is very good and mild! I also ad cardamom.
If you only use this flour, they can get a bit dry after a while, but they are great when theya are still warm!
Thanks!

I was recently given my mom’s old waffle maker and I’ve yet to try it out. These grainy waffles have inspired me to jump in and do it! They look incredibly tasty and texture-y!

Wow! It’s still an hour ’til my lunch, and I just opened this bookmark absentmindedly, and now my tummy is growling somethin’ fierce. 🙂 Poppyseeds + barley flour = heaven. Thanks for the inspiration!

I love the idea of poppy seeds!

I love the idea of mixed whole grain waffles. I grew up on my mother’s whole wheat (waking up to the sound of the wheat grinder going meant waffles or pancakes for breakfast). For both her waffles and pancakes, my mom would seperate the egg and whip the egg white and fold it into the batter. It made for wonderfully airy and light seeming waffles and pancakes.

These sound fantastic! I need to get a waffle iron…and a kitchen to put it in… Thanks for posting!

I really enjoy making a type of pancake called “ployes,” which are a specialty of Northern Maine. They’re typically made with a 2:1 ratio buckwheat and all-purpose (though I’m sure white whole wheat would work equally well). The only ingredients besides that are baking powder, salt, and water, but the result is an amazingly delicious crepe-like bread.
You can spread/fill them with anything sweet or savory–I like butter and maple sugar, or nutella. If you’re interested, the NYT did an article on them way back when.

Oh how wonderful! Barley flour is my favorite actually. Whenever I’m back home in Egypt my mom always barley breadsticks on hand and we munch on them all day.
These waffles look wonderful and would be perfect for Sunday brunch. Thanks for sharing 🙂

I just bought that cookbook and am so excited to check it out! Thank you for the wonderful recommendations.

This is exactly the recipe I’ve been looking for!! Yuuuumm!

Ohhhhh MY! so hungry right now I could eat a lot of those!!!..

I LOVE that you used barley flour! Wish I could start my day off with those!

I am a big fan of unusual flours. I love oat flour flavour, and barley, because they have a sort of sweetness. My favourite one though is spelt: it is very light and has a delicate but complex flavour, which if find not so overpowering as buckwheat, so I often use it for baking. Also fresh pasta made with spelt is very good and keeps a great texture, while bread comes out a little weak – I guess it must not contain much gluten.
I’d definitely give your recipe a try, also with spelt, as soon as I bring myslef to buy a waffle iron.

I was just commenting on someone’s blog the other day that there was no kitchen appliance that I didn’t own but you got me. I don’t have a waffle iron. They sound delish, though!

These look amazing! Could spelt flour work here? I imagine the nutty taste would go well…

Whole wheat pastry flour is a revelation! I can’t believe how well it works in baked goods when regular whole wheat flour would be a terrible idea. Will probably try out some waffles soon and play with this recipe. Thanks!

You’ve inspired me to pull out my waffle iron this weekend. Yay!

Oh I love experimenting with different grains. I have a fair amount of spelt flour left over from some failed coffee cake attempts so I might try some of that. Thanks!

Yumtastic! I make big batches of baking mix with whole wheat pastry flour and oatmeal flour, but I’ve never baked with barley flour. I’ll have to give it a try.
Also, I make a pilaf-type dish of quinoa and buckwheat (actually, it’s taco filling) and I like the way the flavors of those two grains complement each other. I wonder how the flours would work together in something like this?

I think the mix of various flours and muscovado make these waffles so healthy.

I really like Kim Boyce’s book as well as her multigrain flour blend. I have been using it in place of some of the whole wheat flour in her Oatmeal Sandwich bread, which gives it a lighter taste.
Experimenting with flours is so much fun, and I love making waffles – can’t wait to try these! I am so excited when you post a new recipe, and this sounds so perfect. This will keep me occupied until the next post!
Heidi, I am looking forward to your new book! When will we see another update on that?
HS: Soon Monica, we are working on covers right now, I’m hoping to share some of those with you.

I am new to the world of flours outside of whole wheat. I’m looking forward to experimenting with them though, especially because I just ordered the Vita-Mix with the dry blade that allows you to grind your own flour! A whole world awaits…:)

Ooooh…I bet buckwheat would be a good option.

I’ll follow this recipe, this weekend. I anticipate lots of fun, like changing the choices of grains to use

Um…LIKE…YUM! Always looking for healthier ways to enjoy syrup! Can’t wait to try this. Thanks for posting!

This looks so yummy! I totally want to give it a try…

My freezer is packed with odds and ends of all sorts of flours – what a great way to put them to good use! Right now my favorite wholemeal flour combination is spelt and buckwheat, especially in muffins. Nutty, wholesome-tasting, and light.

I like the idea of trying these different flours in combination with poppy seeds. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe with home-grounded flours.

I recently dusted off my waffle iron too! I made a buckwheat version, but these sound pretty dang tasty and hardy to boot. I’ll have to get the ol’ iron back out again!

This is so great for me! I was just telling my husband I wanted a good whole grain waffle recipe! I love the different combos of flour you used!

I recently made waffles using rolled oats and whole millet, soaked overnight and blended with the wet ingredients (no flour used). The original recipe from The Splendid Grain called for buckwheat instead of oats, but it wasn’t available in bulk in my area. I intend to try the buckwheat version, as it has such a toasty flavor.