Banana Nut Oatmeal Waffles

I tried Alton Brown's Oat Waffles this morning for breakfast. I wish I could say I was making these for the kids but I really wanted them for myself. They were really good. I love being able to grind oats and use them in place of flour. Not only does it taste great but getting rid of that white flour in a recipe is awesome. I did again make this recipe dairy-free for my family but you certainly can use buttermilk and butter in place of my dairy-free substitutes. I did exchange the all-purpose flour for whole wheat pastry flour too. Next time I'm gonna try to see if I can get these tasting just as good and make them gluten-free. I added bananas and pecans to my waffles as those are my favorite pancake, waffle or french toast combination. I think I'm in love with my new waffle iron! Just a quick note you absolutely don't have to take the time to toast the oats first if you don't want to. It will bring out the nutty flavor of the oats a bit more but I skip this step often and they are just as good.

Banana Nut Oatmeal Waffles

5 1/2 oz. old fashioned rolled oats
4 oz. whole wheat pastry flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 large eggs, beaten
2 oz. dairy-free butter, melted and slightly cooled
16 oz. almond milk, at room temperature

Optional Toppings:
Dairy-free butter
Sliced bananas
handful of chopped nuts

Heat a 10-inch saute pan over medium heat. Add the oats and cook, stirring occasionally, until toasted, about 3 minutes. Cool the oats in the pan for 2 to 3 minutes. Grind the toasted oats in a food processor until the consistency of whole wheat flour, about 3 minutes.

Heat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.

Whisk together the toasted oat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk the eggs and melted butter together in another bowl, then add the almond milk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until combined. If you are adding nuts you can add some in now and use the rest to top the waffles later.  Rest the batter for 5 minutes. Ladle the recommended amount of waffle batter into the hot iron. Close the iron top and cook until the waffle is golden on both sides and is easily removed from the iron. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately or keep warm in a preheated 200 degree F oven until ready to serve.