This weekend I experimented with a trending recipe – Belgian Yeast Waffles. This waffle recipe is much more of a bread dough consistency with nice chucks of sugar mixed throughout. It’s certainly an interesting twist as they have a very different texture than your average American batter waffle mix. However, it’s worth a try.
We plugged the waffle iron in outside on the deck to enjoy the mountain views and smell the waffles and fresh air together. Certainly a treat in itself.
BELGIAN YEAST WAFFLES, FROM BAKER BETTIE
- ⅔ cup milk
- 1 package active dry yeast (0.25 oz package or 2¼ tsp)
- 6 TBSP unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into small pieces
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups plus 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
- 6 oz sugar cubes, broken into large pieces (or pearl sugar)
- Warm the milk to 105-110ºF. Sprinkle the yeast over the warm milk and let it sit until it begins to get foamy. About 5 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the butter, sugar, salt, and egg.
- Fit the mixing bowl onto the mixer with the dough hook. With the mixer on the lowest setting, pour in the milk/yeast mixture and the flour. Increase speed to medium and let the dough knead for about 5 minutes until it forms a soft sticky dough. The mixture will seem quite wet at first, but will form a smooth soft dough once kneaded in the mixer for the full time. If the mixture is too wet after kneading, add more flour 1 TBSP at a time until a soft but sticky dough forms.
- Place the dough in a clean bowl with a towel or loose plastic wrap over it and allow to rise to double in size. About 1½ hours.(You can make the dough a day ahead of time. Let it rise and then put it in the refrigerator overnight. Let it sit out for about 20 minutes to take the chill off the next day before mixing in the sugar)
- Place the dough back into the mixer fitted with the dough hook and pour in all of the sugar cube pieces (or pearl sugar). Mix until evenly incorporated.
- Break the dough into small pieces, about 2½ oz each. You should get about 10-12 pieces.
- Heat your waffle iron up. Remember, sugar begins to burn at temps above 350ºF. If your waffle iron doesn’t have a temp dial you may have to do trial and error to see the setting that will give you the best caramelization without burning. Most waffle irons heat much hotter than 350.
- Remove the waffles from the iron with a spatula (caramelized sugar is really hot!) once the waffle is golden, puffed, and crispy.
- Enjoy plain or with cinnamon sugar, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, or your favorite topping!
Mod Meals on Mendenhall 