During our fall visit to Lehman’s two years ago, we scooped up one of Rome’s pie irons we had been eyeing for awhile: the waffle iron. It was several months before we were able to put it to good use on our Pennsylvania camping tour–but the wait was worth it. Campfire waffles will be a regular part of our camping menu from now on, and this light and fluffy, gluten-free version allows everyone in our family to enjoy this simple campfire meal.
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I found the original recipe for these waffles over at Bob’s Red Mill but I tweaked it just a bit and doubled most of it to feed our family of five. Here is what worked perfectly for us to make gluten-free camping waffles:
Ingredients:
- 3 cups gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 1/2 T sugar
- 2 T oil
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 6 eggs, separated
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Before leaving home, I recommend you pre-mix the dry ingredients into a plastic zippered bag or plastic container–this saves you space and time on your camping trip!
Directions:
First begin by getting your campfire going so that it can develop some good cooking coals. Rip roarin’ and flamin’ fires will only scorch the waffles, so it’s important to have an evenly burning fire to cook over.
Meanwhile, beat the egg whites and vanilla until stiff peaks form (I can never get “stiff” peaks, but soft peaks worked great for our waffles). I use an electric hand beater for this step, so if that’s not something you normally keep in your camper, make sure to add that to your packing checklist.
Mix together the milk, egg yolks, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, combining well. Then fold the egg whites into the batter.
Spray your waffle iron with cooking spray. Add a scoop of batter (our 1/2 cup measuring scoop worked really well for our waffle iron), then close the iron and secure it.
Place the waffle iron over the coals of the fire, or if it’s still a hot fire, place on the campfire grate over the fire. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on one side, then flip to the other.
After another three minutes pull the waffle iron off the fire to check the status of the waffle. If it hasn’t reached a golden brown color, put it back over the fire for a little bit longer. The heat of your fire and your personal preferences–because in our house, I like my waffles a bit crunchy and browned, but Jarrett likes his soft and lightly golden–will determine how long it takes to cook each waffle.
Once the waffle is cooked to perfection, flip it out onto a plate. Top with maple syrup, fresh fruit (like sliced bananas, blueberries, or strawberries), whipped cream, or your other favorite topping.
You could also create some really yummy camping sandwiches from these gluten-free waffles. Perhaps ham and cheese melts, or even the simple, kid-friendly standby of PB&J. Plus, this is a great way to use up any leftovers. Mmmmm…enjoy!
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