When I was growing up we had homemade waffles a lot on Saturdays. One year my mom got a waffle maker (for Christmas maybe?) and Belgian waffles became one of our staple weekend breakfasts. In fact, we didn’t just wake up saying “Can we have waffles for breakfast?” Instead we had a nickname for them. We called them “homemades,” which is kind of weird and now sounds like it is probably some kind of drug term or something.
Anyway, the truth is homemade waffles were not my favorite (they were my brother’s favorite, I think). I liked them definitely, but I always preferred when we had pancakes or when my dad made biscuits.
I’ve changed my mind now though. Besides the fact that I’ve grown up a little bit and my preferences have changed slightly, I’ve also discovered a life changing way to make waffles: yeasted waffles. They have such a rich and different flavor, almost like a buttery dinner roll turned into a waffle.
But what really sold me on these waffles is how easy they are to make. You start the batter the night before and left it sit and rise overnight. Then in the morning you just have to add some egg yolks and fold in the beaten egg whites.
The recipe came from the book Hungry Monkey, which I read a couple of months ago. In the book Matthew Amster-Burton says that once you have yeasted waffles you never go back to the old way of having waffles again; at least, I think he did. Now I can’t find it. But I think it’s the truth.
Yeasted Waffles
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Wait Time: 8+ hours (overnight)
Cook Time: 5-7 minutes per waffle
Makes enough to serve 4-6 people
Ingredients:
10 oz. (about 2 1/3 cups) all purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups warm milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, separated
Directions:
- The night before, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Then add in the melted and cooled butter, the milk, and the vanilla. Use a fork to stir the ingredients together until combined (the batter will be a bit lumpy and this is fine). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the batter sit overnight to rise.
- In the morning it will have risen and be bubbly and frothy on top. Add in the two egg yolks and stir to combine.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites using an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Then gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter using a spatula.
- Pour some of the batter into your waffle iron. The amount will depend on the size of your waffle iron, but keep in mind that the batter expands as it cooks. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the waffles are beginning to turn a very light brown color. Serve warm with butter and syrup and anything else you might like on your waffles.
adapted from the book Hungry Monkey
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