Charles Hambrick of Alexandria, Va. called one day awhile ago to talk to us about a baking problem he was having. As happens so often, we got talking about baking in general, and some of our favorite recipes. Charles swears this waffle recipe, which is served at one of Washington, D.C.'s famous hotels, is the best he's ever tasted. We made it, and we have to agree. Waffles are soft and light on the inside, crisp on the outside. They're particularly good made in a Belgian waffle iron. Thanks, Charles!

2 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups buttermilk*
2 tablespoons butter, melted, or oil
1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, buttermilk and butter or oil till well combined. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Gently stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

Beat egg whites till stiff. Gently fold them into batter.

Bake waffles in a preheated, oiled waffle iron till done. Yield: twelve 4 x 4-inch waffles.

* Note: Charles notes that adding an additional tablespoon of buttermilk to the batter will make extra-crisp waffles.

Nutrition information per serving (two 4 x 4-inch squares, 107 g): 160 cal, 7 g fat, 7 g protein, 19 g complex carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 105 mg cholesterol, 445 mg sodium, 143 mg potassium, 1 mg vitamin C, 1 mg iron, 157 mg calcium, 120 mg phosphorus.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. III, No. 6, July-August 1992 issue.