Cream Waffles

A very lean, eggy batter with no butter and no sugar, meant for a cast-iron waffle iron set over a stove burner. A few things need translating before it will work in a modern kitchen.

• The batter is thinner than you expectOne pint of sour milk to one cup of flour plus three tablespoons cornstarch gives a pourable, cream-like batter rather than a spoonable one. If it runs off the iron, hold back some of the milk and add it only as needed.
• Sour milk means cultured milkNot spoiled fresh milk, which today is simply contaminated. Use buttermilk, or clabbered whole milk; plain unsweetened kefir works. The acid is structural here, since it is the only thing that will react with the soda.
• Soda quantityOne teaspoon of soda is a lot against a single cup of flour, though set against a full pint of sour milk it is roughly the amount needed to neutralise the acid; the recipe's own method says "small teaspoon." Level it rather than heaping it; excess soda leaves a soapy, faintly metallic taste.
• Dissolve the soda lastStir it into a tablespoon of water and fold it in just before the batter meets the iron. The rise from soda and acid is immediate and largely spent within a few minutes of sitting.
• The stray "1 egg"The line repeated at the end appears to be a duplication in the printed or transcribed text. One egg is correct.
• No fat in the batterUnlike most modern waffle recipes, nothing here shortens the batter, so the iron must be greased thoroughly and re-greased between waffles. A well-seasoned iron or a nonstick electric waffle maker makes the difference between waffles and scrap.
• Heat and timingA stovetop iron is ready when a drop of water skitters and vanishes; an electric one should be on its medium-high setting. Cook until the steam coming from the seam slows noticeably, roughly three to four minutes.
• YieldAbout four to six waffles, depending on iron size — two to three servings. Serve at once with syrup or preserves, as the batter's low fat means they soften quickly.