Do You Know What's in a Jaffle?

A jaffle may be a new word for you, but they have been around for decades in Australia and during a recent camping trip we re-discovered them. It is definitely a fun food to be tried by kids and parents alike. Our family grew up with jaffles and ate them hot for lunch or dinner and leftovers were taken to school to eat cold the next day. We mainly cooked jaffles as a main meal, but now we cook up dessert with fruit and spices or cheese. They are super easy and more than tasty which may have something to do with the butter used.  Here's how we cooked our jaffles over a camp fire pit.

What is a jaffle?

Jaffles are cooked in a jaffle iron which is two pieces of metal, circular or square, hinged together at one end, with handles attached to carry the hot irons when cooking (See photo below)

A jaffle is like a sealed, toasted sandwich. Some people call them pies, but to me they will always be plain and simple jaffles. What could be easier when camping.  They are made of 2 slices of bread with a filling toasted over a heat source in an "iron". Don't be deceived they are delicious

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What you will need:

1. A jaffle iron or two (we have 3)
2. Bread of your choice - 2 pieces per jaffle. Use a medium thickness, slightly larger than the size of the iron to be used. Add filling of your choice
3. If using a circular iron, which is my first choice, the corners of the bread will need to be cut off before toasting and is easy to do once the iron is closed

How to make a Jaffle

1. Generously butter one side only of 2 pieces of bread
2. Place one slice with the buttered side of the bread down on the inside of an open cold jaffle iron
3. Add filling i.e. raw egg with cooked or smoked sausage
4. Place 2nd slice of buttered bread on top of the filling with the buttered side up
5. Close iron carefully so as not to spill contents
6. Secure clip on iron and cut off extra bread on outside
7. Place on grill on fire (open fire should have more ashes than flames)
8. Turn the iron every 2 minutes for 8 to 10 minutes
9. Open jaffle iron to check if bread has "browned". If so, that is a good sign it is heated sufficiently to eat

Ideas for Jaffle Fillings

• Eggs, our breakfast favourite
• Eggs, sausage (cooked) and cheese
• Cheese (with or without tomatoes)
• Baked beans
• Leftovers: such as chicken stew, pasta, etc
• Desserts: apple sauce with spices, another favourite, or just about any other fruit including banana. Add a little honey for sweetness when making a dessert jaffle
• Create your own favourites

Notes:

1. Trial and error is required for timing of jaffles, depending on the heat source used
2. If you are cooking over an open fire, children need adult supervision
3. Jaffles can easily be cooked using a propane stove or BBQ
4. When buying an iron I prefer the heavier cast iron and not aluminium.
5. Check the iron also has a clip to close the handles when cooking
6. I prefer a round jaffle iron although notice the irons for sale were mostly square, singles and doubles
7. The contents of a just cooked jaffle can be steaming hot so be careful not to burn yourself
8. A Furphy jaffle iron is now a collectible worth hundreds of dollars

Before writing this article I checked with family in Australia and they have similar childhood memories and today, many people still cook jaffles! They are a great food to have at home, as well as adding them to your camping experience. Enjoy ~ safe and happy travels!