Beer Batter Waffles
Waffle batter mixed with beer instead of water. Car camping, cast iron, one flat bag of dry mix.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 104
- protein
- 13 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 20 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| All purpose flour | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Whole wheat flour | 1 cup | adds structure so the waffles hold together |
| Granulated sugar | 2 tbsp | |
| Baking powder | 2 tsp | |
| Baking soda | 1/2 tsp | |
| Ground cinnamon | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Buttermilk powder | 1/2 cup | reconstitutes with the beer; replaces 2 cups fresh buttermilk |
| Powdered whole egg | 3 tbsp | stands in for 1 egg, plus insurance against a crumbly batter |
| Beer | 2 cups | a plain lager; the batter liquid |
| Butter or oil | 2 tbsp | for the iron |
| Syrup | to taste |
Method
- Get the fire down to steady coals, or light one burner low. A waffle iron over a campfire wants even heat, not flames.
- Set the cast iron waffle iron on the grate to preheat while you mix. Grease both faces.
- Dump the dry bag into a bowl and pour in 2 cups of beer. Stir until the lumps are mostly gone, then stop. Overmixing makes them tough.
- Let the batter sit five minutes. It will foam up and rise.
- Pour enough to cover the bottom face, close it, and cook about three minutes per side, flipping the iron once. Pull it when steam stops leaking out of the seam.
- Butter and syrup while it is hot. Repeat until the batter is gone.
The beer does two jobs. Its carbonation lifts the batter before the leavening catches up, and its sugars brown the outside faster than water does. That matters over a fire, where heat is uneven and you want color before the inside overcooks.
The original called for fresh buttermilk and a real egg. Both are replaced here with powders so the whole dry side rides in one bag at ambient temperature. Whole wheat flour is the other structural piece: straight white flour in a camp iron tears when you open it.
Packing
All the dry ingredients, including the buttermilk and egg powders, go in one gallon bag mixed at home. Label it with the beer volume so nobody has to guess. The beer is coming in the cooler anyway.
Variations
- No beer, or nobody wants to spend one: 2 cups of water plus an extra teaspoon of baking powder. Flatter, but it works.
- Skip the waffle iron and cook it as pancakes in a greased skillet. Same batter, thinner pour.
- Powdered milk in place of the buttermilk powder if that is what you have. Drop the baking soda to 1/4 tsp.
https://www.hunttalk.com/threads/do-you-think-beer-and-waffles-will-make-a-good-breakfast.215338