President John F. Kennedy Absolutely Loved This Breakfast

The sitting President of the United States is one of the most famous people in the world. And while presidents are used to making global decisions and spending many days in front of an audience, they still do ordinary things like request their favorite foods. John F. Kennedy, who was president from 1961 to 1963, loved his White House lunch of creamy fish chowder. But he also had a personal favorite breakfast: homemade waffles.

The waffles weren't anything fancy. They only contained eight ingredients, and they weren't much different from the waffles you'd eat today. The secret to Kennedy's favorite waffles was in the type of flour used. There are so many options for home cooks: all-purpose flour, semolina, double zero flour, but Kennedy's most-preferred waffle recipe contained cake flour. Other than that, it was just the usual baking ingredients, such as eggs, sugar, and butter. The recipe also called for buttermilk instead of regular milk, which no doubt gave the waffles a slightly tangy taste to contrast nicely with the added sugar. And, perhaps most importantly, Kennedy finished his breakfast with a little extra butter and some hot maple syrup on top.

You can't make John F. Kennedy's favorite waffles without using cake flour; it's what sets them apart from many standard recipes. It's a lightened-up flour — lighter than something like all-purpose flour. Cake flour has a low protein content, with about half the amount that's in all-purpose flour. Plus, it is finely milled, so it creates fluffy baked goods rather than dense ones. Being made from soft wheat is what gives it that lower protein, high starch combination, meaning it's also lower in gluten. If you want to recreate Kennedy's waffle recipe, follow it exactly as is; it's available in the National Archives. Just keep in mind that cake flour absorbs less moisture than all-purpose, so taking any shortcuts with the recipe could result in dry waffles.

As a public figure, Kennedy's food preferences were pretty well-known. In addition to his love for fish chowder and waffles, it was no secret that the Massachusetts native loved Boston's Union Oyster House — the city's oldest restaurant. He even had a signature booth which, to this day, remains named in his honor. And when it came to cocktails, you could usually find him sipping a daiquiri or a bloody Mary.