Banana Bread Waffles

Banana Bread Baking: America’s Official Quarantine Pastime

Banana bread is a staple in many American’s baking repertoire. And I am pretty sure that banana bread baking (and consuming) has significantly increased in the time of quarantine. Many people have a specific banana bread recipe they grew up eating, and I definitely fall into this category. My mom always made banana bread using a recipe from a cookbook comprised of various recipes submitted by members of my grandparent’s church. I know that sounds complicated, but it’s really not. You know the type of recipe book I am talking about. The kind of cookbook that is spiral bound and has food stains on various pages from spills attempting to make each recipe.

Banana Bread Waffles: A Childhood Treat with Australian Flair

Although I grew up eating banana bread, my love for this fluffy, fruit bread was reinvigorated when I lived in Australia. Down under, you can buy slices of banana bread at most coffee shops. They toast it on each side and slather it with butter. I wanted to recreate this tea time treat by transforming the banana bread recipe I grew up with into waffles, specifically mini waffles. Mini waffles are just the right size snack for a single lady like myself. And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, the story behind these Banana Bread Waffles.

Banana Bread Waffle Making in Pictures

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Tips for Success

• Buttermilk Substitution: Let’s be real, buttermilk is not a standard item lingering in my fridge. So if you don’t want to buy buttermilk specifically for these banana bread waffles, you can make your own alternative using whole or 2% milk and lemon juice or vinegar. For every 1 cup of milk, stir in 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. The acid will curdle the milk slightly, but don’t let the curds scare you. You can use the milk, curds and all, in place of buttermilk.
• Bananas: Make sure your bananas are overripe as they are sweeter and more “mashy” (and yeah, I made up that word). I don’t think I have ever eaten an entire bunch of bananas without them turning brown first. When they do turn brown, I put them in the freezer for safekeeping. Safekeeping that is until I can use them for my Banana Bread Waffles!
• Cooking your waffles to perfection – Make sure you wait until the waffle maker has fully heated before you add the batter. Most waffle makers, even my cheap $10 mini waffle maker from Target, have a light that indicates when they are ready for use. It is also a good idea to spray the inside of the waffle maker with non-stick spray or grease it with oil/butter prior to adding your batter. Try not to overfill the waffle maker with batter. It takes a surprisingly small amount of batter to make a big, fluffy waffle. So for your first waffle-making attempt, err on the side of caution and use less batter than you think you need.
• Getting the most out of your waffles – This recipe makes a lot of mini waffles. I say “a lot” because I typically eat quite a bit of the batter and don’t know how many it actually makes. You can use all the batter to cook your waffles then freeze them to eat later. Or, you could save some of the batter to make muffins or more waffles. If you opt to freeze your waffles, make sure they have cooled completely before freezing them.