I want waffles… all the time. In my dreams, I replace all of the bread in my life with warm waffles. Waffles with peanut butter and jelly. Waffles with ham and cheese. Waffles with ice cream and hot fudge.
Perhaps this is just a phase… equal to my cargo pants and cropped jean jacket phase.
Actually wait… I still maintain that I looked great in those cargo pants. I wish someone would have told me not to actually carry cargo in my pockets though. No one needs the bulk of a lady wallet and lipstick added to their thighs. Fashion pockets, Joy. Fashion pockets.
So… waffles! Consider them delicious, freshly-made bread… and act accordingly. Prosciutto, spinach, and tart apples slices are a wonderful place to start: open-face sandwich style.
Let’s start with polenta.
It’s as good a place as any to start.
Polenta is coarsely ground cornmeal. You might call them grits… same thing!
Polenta gets cooked up. Butter is whisked in.
What could go wrong here? Exactly nothing.
Whisking cold butter into warm polenta is 100% satisfying.
Creamy and smooth.
Next, cold milk is added to the buttered polenta.
… and this is totally going to turn into waffles. I promise!
Now… about the dry ingredients.
These are gluten-free waffles, so I used an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix.
My absolutely favorite gluten-free flour mix is Cup4Cup.
Just about everything is made better with cheese and fresh herbs.
In this case, we’re talking Gruyere and coarsely chopped parsley.
You might also consider cheddar cheese and chives… that would be a great move!
Creamy polenta mixed with gluten-free flour and spices.
After about a minute of combining the wet and dry ingredients, the mixture thickens substantially.
Fold in the cheese and herbs, and you’ll have a batter so thick it dollops instead of pours.
This will create the most wonderful soft, but crisp waffles.
Toppings!
Where are you going with your savory waffles?
For these lunch waffles I chose mustard, thin apple slices, and prosciutto.
I don’t aim to coat my entire waffle pan with batter. I have a large square waffle iron and dollop about 1/4 cup of batter into each waffle section. Pressed down… the waffles bake up into round-ish individual waffles.
These waffle are the perfect open-face sandwich vehicle. The outside is golden and crisp. The inside of the waffle is just melting with creamy polenta and cheese goodness. It’s the best of both worlds. Crisp and Cream.
This recipe comes from Lena Kwak of The French Laundry. We spent an afternoon cooking together in the French Laundry test kitchen. She made a variation of these waffles… I stumbled through making a Gluten-free Quiche. There’s an awesome video aallll about it! Lena developed the gluten-free flour Cup4Cup that I used in these waffles. It’s my absolute favorite and now the flour is a staple in my kitchen pantry.
If you’re not gluten-free, you should try these sexy Cornmeal Waffles… also completely delicious.
You don’t have a waffle iron? I understand. Will this batter work to fry up pancakes? Well… the batter is very thick and studded with lots of cheese. While it is an ultra lovely waffle batter, I don’t find this to be the ideal pancake situation. I’ll be in the kitchen making gluten-free pancakes just for you… soon!
Gluten-free Waffles with Cornmeal and Gruyere
makes about 12 small waffles
recipe adapted from Lena Kwak, The French Laundry
1 cup water
1/2 cup dried polenta or grits
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into large cubes
1 cup milk
1 cup Cup4Cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 large egg
3/4 cup grated gruyere cheese
3 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives
Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add polenta and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter cubes. Stir until butter is melted. Add cold milk and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, garlic powder, and cayenne.
Pour the cooled polenta mixture over the dry ingredients. Add egg and whisk until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated. Add the cheese and herbs. Fold to combine. Waffle batter will be thick. That’s perfect.
Cook waffles according to waffle machine instructions. I dolloped about 1/4 cup of batter into each section of my large waffle iron. Serve warm with fried egg and prosciutto.
Waffles can also be wrapped individually, frozen, thawed slightly, and reheated in a toaster for quick lunch or breakfast situations.
Garton King
Simply beautiful, really loking forward to giving these a go.
Thank You
Steve O.
Joy, I made these waffles for my lovely ‘mother-to-be’ wife on Mother’s Day and Holy Polenta Waffles, Batman…were these amazing or WHAT??! Beer can chicken and ‘Joy Waffles,’ greens (arugula and pea shoots) with maple bacon vinaigrette, and a poached egg on top! Mother’s Day success. This will be an every week occurrence I’m afraid, I can’t wait one year to have these again. Thanks Joy!
Ann P.
Lunch waffles are the new thing, and they are SO GOOD! apples and prosciutto are the perfect combo, joy. you are GENIUS!
rachel h.
thank you, friend, for posting a gluten free recipe that you know full well i am going to shove my face all up in.
was that even an english language sentence?
anyway, thanks. this looks AMAZING!
Chris
Mmmmm. I had never heard of savory waffles until I was watching one of the food channels one day and someone was positively drooling over chicken and waffles. Within a couple of weeks, I happened to see several more cooking shows (including a Rachel Ray Show episode) extolling the virtues of Chicken & Waffles plus other savory waffle creations. I had to try it! I’m the only one in my family who really likes it – I mean, my family will eat it without complaint, but they won’t beg me to make it or anything like that. So I saw this on my bloglovin update and I was going to pass it by (sorry), but I just couldn’t. I mean, waffles, proscuitto, apples – so intriguing. I may just make them up and hoard them to myself on my weekday days off while everyone else is at work and school – they won’t know what they’re missing anyway… right?
Jocelyn
Tried to make these but they didn’t work in the waffle iron, made pancakes instead. They taste great and are an excellent alternative to gluten free bread. May try them again. Not sure what went wrong.
Heidi - Apples Under My Bed
Joy…I need a waffle iron in my life. My life is far too empty, from a waffle perspective. Love the sound of the crispness….mmmmm. Beautiful.
Heidi xo
Kate @ eatrecyclerepeat
Waffles are a dream…I want to eat open-faced waffle sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. I also love the size of these! They would make great appetizers. And apples & prosciutto? Knock me over with a feather. Now I’m soooo hungry!
kristin eldridge photography
This waffle situation does look pretty darn good! I haven’t tried a savory waffle yet, but I think this might just be the one to turn me to the dark side. :)
Taylor
Can you use a variation of this recipe to make regular or sweet waffles? I had to go gluten green and miss waffles!!!
Courtney @ Bake.Eat.Repeat.
Ohmagoodness. I am loving all this “waffle as vehicle for deliciousness.” I went to the best pizza place of my life the other week and you know what made it even better? Dessert was a mini waffle with berries, whipped cream, and nutella. Pizza and waffles. You just don’t get a Friday night much better than that.
Spillers of Chard
Being a huge fan of Prosciutto and Waffles this is a great recipe that i can’t wait to try. Love your blog and your recipes really well written and the pictures are a great aid also.
Jillian@TheHumbleGourmet
Yum, yum, yum! Can’t wait to try these!
I like to make a rosemary waffle with shredded chicken, sauteed mushrooms and pesto on top. Super delicious.
Lindsay @ The Live-In Kitchen
I’ve never tried savory waffles, but this totally makes me want to!
Laura
Oh Joy,
Look what you have done, now I have gone and bought a waffle iron, just to make these and every other type of waffle under the sun (the banana and walnut ones will be next).
My boyfriend will thank you, but my diet will not :)
Mollie
Savory waffles!! Where have you been all my life!!?! This is seriously awesome stuff, and I can’t wait to try this. Btw, I am so happy to have stumbled on your blog!
The Crafty Wify
Yay! This waffles looks so yummy-licious! I have to add these in my long list of “Recipes To Try”. Thanks for sharing wonderful recipes Joy.:)
OliePants
Holy crap these look delicious!!! I love waffles but always limit them to breakfast. These will change that for sure.
Kitchen Mommy
These look and sound so delicious! Makes me think I need yet another small appliance… the waffle maker.
Meg H.
Those waffles look amazing but I have to be honest. I still have the coffee cake french toast still on my mind! My youngest daughter and I made them for Sunday morning, post-church, big yummy breakfast. The pan was scraped clean and everyone claimed to want them next weekend too. (And then my middle daughter and i made the zucchini cream cheese cake and my oldest daughter and I are making the smores brownies this week. How am I supposed to fit in these perfect lunch waffles??) Love you and your food!
Amanda Bimble
I need these in my life right now. Hello flavour town!
Chantel
This sounds like the perfect compromise between my son’s gluten-free diet and his craving for all things breakfast. Being able to turn them into lunch and dinner is really going to open up a world of possibilities (waffle sandwiches, here we come!). Thank you so much!
ispeakbaobab
Living in Zimbabwe poses some challenges however our largest milling company produces the most wonderful ground maize labelled as Pearlenta which I used in your delightful recipe, and although I do have a working waffle iron I was challenged by all the people who responded with their lack of owning one. So instead of cooking this great recipe on a waffle iron i used a non stick skillet and made a great base for a pizza type topping and before we knew it the kids had demolished the whole batch in one fell swoop!!! Great news for us cost conscious Zimbos
Le Citron
Oh ! This look perfect !
anna
you read my mind! no waffle iron here, i was hoping the batter might translate into pancakes. well! looking forward to your GF pancakes, and maybe i’ll get a waffle iron soon…
Anna @ the shady pine
I love love love polenta so am delighted to see above all things in a waffle!! Actually this is breakfast, lunch or dinner sorted!
Adrienne @ How to Ice a Cake
I love all the plates you feature on your blog! Also, where did you get your blackboard tiles? I want them :D almost as bad as I want these waffles. Yum!
Catalina @ Cake with Love
What a great recipe, I would never thought to put all these ingredients together, sounds delicious and sophisticated!!
Amelia ay Appleshine, Lifestyle Organization
Um, did you say these were Polenta Waffles?? Amazing! Thank you for the creative and yummy new dish.
Lauren at Keep It Sweet
I really should be eating more waffles, I like the way you think:-)
Julia {the roasted root}
Oh your waffle batter looks so good! Open face waffle sandwich with apple and prosciutto is not only clever, it should be my lunch every day. I’ve always been a big fan of paninis…what do you think of a waffle panini? Would that work or is that just too much? It’s okay, it’s too much, I just know it…but in my head it sounds pretty great. Awesome idea – I’d love to try the waffle recipe and fire up the ol waffle iron!
joythebaker
i’m still trying to wrap my head around a waffle panini. my instinct tell me that it’s just too too much.
Jenny
Waffles for lunch? the childhood version of me is so freaking envious. Right on.
laura k
I knew you were a mad genius. This might be the final push that makes me buy a waffle iron, even though we have no room in our kitchen for it and my partner will give me That Face when I bring yet another thing into our home. I think I’ll convince him it’s all for the good with these waffles.
joythebaker
you can make so much good with waffles… this is totally a legit purchase!
Ness
I just adore that you have included waffles in the lunch genre – the world is now a better place! Also, thanks for the polenta/grits explanation – here in Australia, you can’t really get grits but you can get polenta. I had no idea that they were pretty much the same thing, so now there’s a whole lot of recipes I can try :)
joythebaker
oh yes! just make sure the grits/polenta are more coarse than fine cornmeal. you’re good to go!
Sarah
I love the cornmeal in these. I have to make these!
Maia @ MaiTreat
I love the gluten free and I love the idea to replace bread with a waffle!
jennie
omg these waffles! if only i had a waffle iron. in my next kitchen…
Grace
These look great!
I’m not gluten free or anything but that surely won’t stop me from making them!
Kim C.
I LOVE Waffles but I had to give them up when I found out that I have a gluten intolerance. Thank You So Much for posting this recipe, it looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it!!!
I just need to tell you that I watched the video of you at the French Laundry which led me to watch another one about you and I cried a little while watching them. You are an Amazingly, Wonderful and Talented Woman with a Big Heart who touches peoples’ lives and I think that is Incredibly Remarkable and Truly Inspiring!! :D
joythebaker
ooh kim! thank you so much for your kindness!
Monica
You always come up with amazing food combinations. these look marvelous! you should make a ‘waffle week’ dedicated to your love of waffles… just sayin’! i’ve never met a person who didn’t LOVE waffles! i bet your other combinations would be just as marvelous as apples and prosciutto.
Kelli H (Made in Sonoma)
These look so amazing!
Alysa
I’ve been contemplating for a few days what I’d like for my birthday dinner. These waffles are exactly what my taste buds were dreaming about, but my mind couldn’t conjure up. Thank you Joy!!!
joythebaker
happy birthday dinner!
Tori (@eatori)
Oh gracious- I am such a fan of anything cheesey and toasted with apple. I think what completely tipped me over the edge was apple with dark rye eggs bennedict that we had in Copenhagen last year. The cut through of the apple. The cut through. So good.
Erika - The Teenage Taste
I really really like the idea of a polenta-based waffle! Sounds delish! :)
Stacey S
I love the fact that you used polenta – what a great idea! Sounds like a great recipe.
joythebaker
it’s Lena! she’s totally the genius behind this recipe.
Marika
Just wanted to say that your cookbook just arrived on my doorstep…best 16 bucks I’ve ever spent :). I’m already planning what to bake first. I really love your writing style, I read through the whole book first and I definitely laughed out loud a couple of times. I know I’ll be using your cookbook all of the time; I’m a 19 year old student who loves to bake and your recipes are really straightforward and all sound delicious!
joythebaker
this makes me so happy! happy baking!
Gen
Great! I love salty waffles, and I didn’t know you could do them with polenta. Yum!
Jennifer
Ohhhhhh Joy…a favorite book in my arsenal…Dorie Greenspan’s “Waffles from Morning to Midnight”…I’m sure you know of it. We’ve had waffle dinner parties. Love!
joythebaker
waffle dinner parties sound like A DREAM!
amanda @ fake ginger
I loooove waffle sandwiches but haven’t made them in forever! These look fantastic!
Holly
OMG I wish I had a waffle iron. I made need to find some other thing to turn this recipe into.
Jenna
mmmm…these look amazing.
is your diet strictly gluten free now? if so how did you transition?
Courtney
Waffles are my absolute favorite food but I almost never get to eat them since I’m gluten-free … Thanks for giving me an awesome treat! Also, don’t you just LOVE cup4cup? I received two bags for Christmas and I was super close to crying and I’m pretty sure I hugged and kissed those bags of flour. I almost completely gave up baking after my diagnosis but c4c has given me more freedom in the kitchen. It’s allowed me to make some heirloom recipes that bake up perfectly! Thanks for a great GF recipe with tons of flavor, Ms. Joy. I always appreciate when someone thinks of us with food difficulties.
joythebaker
don’t you LOVE this flour!? i love hearing that it has made a difference in your kitchen! that’s incredible. please please make these waffles. they’re better than gluten-filled waffles… i promise!
Anne
Savory waffles are a win in my book. I love that you paired it with apples and prosciutto.
Mish
Oh My! These sound delightful :) I have yet to find a gluten-free waffle that I am crazy about, so I’m excited to see if this one does the trick. I’ve been pretty sad without good waffles :(
When we found out my son had celiac a few months ago I was sad to say goodbye to all my favorite food bloggers, or at least stop making their food… It’s so nice to see you posting gluten free recipes now and then. Thanks!
joythebaker
these waffles are seriously even better than gluten-filled waffles. i’ll post gluten-free from time to time. i love it!
Laura @ She Eats Well
Um hello. This is brilliant and THANK YOU for making them gluten free. Is it wrong that I want to top these waffles with a fried egg? Anything with prosciutto on it is good in my book. Lovely, just lovely!
joythebaker
a friend egg would be incredible!
Margarita
I wish, I wish, I wish I had a waffle maker. These look delicious! I would never have thought of eating waffles as sandwiches. The sad thing is, I never get the chance to eat waffles except at those free breakfasts that hotels offer. SAD!
Baani
Have you ever been to Shaky Alibi in West LA?? WAFFLE SANDWICHES
Melinda
Joy – I LOVE seeing these gluten free recipes pop up here and there! I’ve been following your blog since just after you starting writing but found that I had to go gluten free 2 years ago….I still follow your blog regularly and am loving some recipes popping up that are written GF! Thanks!
joythebaker
heck yes!
Nicole N
I spend all weekend mulling over whether to buy a waffle iron, and decided against it. This recipe absolutely changed my mind, though–must acquire a waffle iron now!
joythebaker
get one!
Kara
oh my. I dream of waffles. I sing about waffles(literally) & these look AMAZING. thanks these will power me through this semester of school !
Rocky Mountain Woman
That would keep the tummy filled for the entire afternoon! Looks wonderful…
Lori
Fan-freaking-tastic! Just went GF and have been mourning the loss of my most beloved waffle recipe. Will be making these ASAP.
joythebaker
ooh good! i hope you love them!
Heather (Heather's Dish)
i’m loving the cornmeal – i bet they’re super hearty!
green beans & grapefruit
These look awesome–waffles are great any hour of the day in my book!
Katie @ OhShineOn
Savory waffles with cheese and apples? Holler. Right up my alley, there!
wendy@chezchloe
This looks really good even if you don’t have to cook gluten free. This will be on my summer brunch menu with 2 of my gluten free friends. They will be wowed! I’m also liking their size and am assuming that you only filled maybe a TB in the middle of the iron? Also liking Katherine’s use of the bacon bits and drippings.
VA DE PAN
They look so yummy!!!!!
Mary @ Bake Break
Yum! Savory waffles are something I’d honestly never heard of until you busted them into my life – thank you very much – and now I can’t wait to try some! Great pictures, as usual!
Part Time House Wife
Joy…These look fabbb-uuuu-lous! I needs to get me a waffle iron…ASAP! Love it
Louise @ Kitchen Fiddler
Oh goodness, this sounds over-the-top scrumptious!!! I’ve become very fond of savory oatmeal variations in recent months, and I think waffles may be the next breakfast item to transition from sweet to savory. I’m a relatively new reader of yours, and your posts never fail to put a big smile on my face. Thank you, Joy!
Connie @ Daydream In Color
These look crazy good! There’s this place in Portland called Waffle Window that does a 3 B’s (Bacon, basil, and brie w/ homemmade peach jam) on a Liege waffle. So good! I must make these soon because I’m drooling.
Gilbert
I live in the Netherland can you plz give the recepi with gr and ml, this will make our live so must beter, great blog, love the idee of waffels
Thx
Alexis
a waffle iron is #1 on my list of “things that will undoubtedly clutter up my kitchen but are a total necessity and it’s just a matter of time before i cave and buy”. also on that list: rice cooker, juicer. all of your gorgeous waffle recipes are making it mighty hard to stay strong.
Katerina from Psit jewellery
If I put regular wheat flour instead of the gluten free kind will it be ok?
I like it that even your plates have pattern layers!
joythebaker
you should use a different recipe if you’re going to use regular wheat flour. there’s a link in the post for cornmeal waffles that’s wonderful!
Katherine @ eggton
Polenta is the food of gods, I tell you. Lately, I’ve been frying up some bacon and instead of adding butter to the polenta, I break up the bacon and pour the drippings in. Throw in a little cheddar cheese, and it’s ridiculous. Ridiculous!
These look lovely, and as always, your photography let a little light shine on my day. Cheers!
joythebaker
every word you said was lovely… especially ‘bacon’.
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
These waffles seem so…chic…hip…in the most delicious way possible. Does that make sense?
Jessica Ann [peonyfish]
Cheesy grits in waffle form? You had me at cheesy grits.
Carrie Z
I want these right now! Yum.
leaf (the indolent cook)
Mmmmm… waffles with lots of cheese and butter. Sounds totally awesome.
Michelle
What a brilliant idea. I love every piece!
Liz @ Tip Top Shape
I love the concept of a lunch waffle. It’s just sheer genius. And I totally would weigh down my cargo pants with actual cargo, too. I mean, a pocket is meant to be used!
mary fran | frannycakes
If you don’t have a waffle iron but have a griddle pan, you can make griddle waffles! Pour the batter out like you would pancake batter and flip it once the bubbles stop forming. Your waffles will have lovely lines instead of squared (but is an excellent alternative for people with small kitchens).
And I LOVE that you are posting more gluten free recipes. :) Yay Joy!
Sue from Pleasanton
Wow! What a great idea! THANK YOU FOR SUGGESTING THESE GRIDDLE WAFFLES!
Kathryn
What an awesome recipe, I think it might be worth buying a waffle iron just to make these! Very excited to see that it’s a recipe from The French Laundry too, I’m going to be in CA in the summer and really hoping to eat there!
ileana
Prosciutto on waffles, why didn’t I think of that sooner? Thanks, Joy!
sara
Oh my! so much goodness here! xo
Sophie
Everytime you post you make me want to buy new fangled equipment. I’ve got my bundt tin and now I’ve decided I simply need to have a waffle iron! Prosciutto is awesome by the way. Gruyere is even better.
Amy
Mmm… they look so good! Time to buy a waffle iron :)
Averie @ Averie Cooks
I’ve made savory donuts but never savory waffles. A warm waffle sounds perfect right about now!
joythebaker
all i can think about now is a savory doughnut!
E Choi
Oh my, these remind me of the grits waffles at the Zingerman’s roadhouse in Michigan, except theirs includes BACON. Love this.