The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Belgian Waffle

steelchef's picture
steelchef

Belgian Waffle

I'm looking for a GREAT Belgian waffle recipe.  Apprieciate any and all contributions.

 

swtgran's picture
swtgran

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbl. sugar, I use agave,  honey would probably be great 

1 large egg, separated

1 1/2 cups milk

1/3 cup melted butter or vegetable oil, I use extra light olive oil

1 tsp. vanilla

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, milk, and butter or oil, and vanilla.  Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, stirring just till combined.  Fold in egg whites 1/3 at a time.

Cook the waffles as directed in the instructions that came with your waffle iron. 

This is a slight variation of a recipe from King Arthur.

This recipe makes a nice crispy outside and light airy inside.  It freezes beautifully for those hectic mornings.  My grandkids beg for them all the time.

 

 

steelchef's picture
steelchef

swtgran

Thank you for your response, it looks great!

steelchef's picture
steelchef

I'm new to this but it was my understanding that Belgian waffles were yeast based, please correct me if I'm wrong.

lumos's picture
lumos

Yes, steelchef is right. Belgium waffle is yeast based.

 

This is a very basic, standard recipe as a suggestion.

bread flour 125g

plain flour(AP flour in US)  125g

melted butter (cooled to room temparature)  100g

3 eggs

milk 375ml

dried yeast 3g

sugar 30g (or to taste)

a pinch of salt

 

1. Mix all the ingredients and knead for a few minutes.

2. Leave for 30minutes-1 hr to proof.

3. knock air out and divide into small balls (to fit your waffle maker)

4. Cook on a waffle maker.

Note: If you have, you can use a bread machine for step.1-2.

 

As I said, the above is a very basid recipe and there are many variations. But use of yeast is crucial and that's what makes Belgium waffle different from other waffles. Some recipes use sourdough instead of dried yeast which make tastier waffle with deeper flavour and slight tang. That's the way I usually make mine.

 

 

 

 

steelchef's picture
steelchef

 lumos

Thanks for your input.  Of course there are millions of recipes on the web but I like to compare them to folks from this forum.  Thanks again for taking the time ........

Colin


swtgran's picture
swtgran

Ah gee, I thought it was the waffle iron that you used that determined if it was a Belgian Waffle.  You know, the big thick kind with the deep holes. 

I have a couple of those recipes, but this one is far better than the yeast ones I have.  The yeast ones I have call for an overnight prep.

Thanks for clarifying that for me.  Terry

lumos's picture
lumos

Because it's fermented with yeast, Belgium waffle has unique texture which is quite different from other waffles and that's its important characteristics. And many of them have relatively high proportion of sugar which gives the surface a little caramel-like smell/flavour because of burned sugar. Some people use brown sugar rather than regular white sugar to achieve this.

Overnight prep means long fermentation at low temperatere, which means better flavour, just as bread made by long, cold fermentation. So, though it may sounds troublesome, it is actually a good method for achieving tastier waffle. ;)

I didn't write in my previous post but you can cold ferment overnight  in a fridge for the first proof to improve flavour. But if you have sourdough, I recommend using it instead of commercial yeast. It tastes so much better. (though the texture tends to be slightly less fluffy than commercial yeast one)

 

 

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

I just had a hankering for some waffles and the recipe I used was almost exactly like the "hearty whole wheat waffles" listed at the top of this thread (back in 2010).  I ground some hard white spring wheat and ran 2 Tbsp of corn and 1 Tbsp of rice through the grinder with the wheat - I also added 2 Tbsp corn starch but otherwise same as that recipe :)   Turned out really good and the corn/rice gave it a nice crunch and flavor. 

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

I couldn't see a way to edit my post after I saved it.  it would be twice as much corn/rice as I listed (I halved the recipe)

barryvabeach's picture
barryvabeach

Andy , you saw 2 TBSP corn -  do you mean corn meal ?   

AndyPanda's picture
AndyPanda

I ran the dried corn (popcorn actually - that's what I had on hand).    I use a Magic Mill III impact mill --- so when I was grinding the wheat berries I ran the popcorn and rice through the grinder at the same time.

I never verified if corn grinds the same as wheat - but 1 cup of wheat berries will yield 2 cups of flour - so I'm guessing my 2 Tbsp of corn would equal 4 Tbsp cornmeal.

barryvabeach's picture
barryvabeach

Andy , thanks,  I never thought of adding ground popcorn to a waffle.  

dosco's picture
dosco

Here's a recipe you might like.

I tried the recipe with sourdough, I'd skip it and use commercial yeast instead.

Also, after you add the pearl sugar, don't let the doughballs sit too long. The sugar will dissolve and then you're cooked.

-Dave