Biju's Belgian Waffles
What makes a Liege waffle so special? Well, other than being delicious, these waffles are made from yeast-raised dough while traditional American waffles are made from batter. This is great news because (in addition to being a tasty treat for long workouts or travel days,) you can make a large amount of dough at one time, cut it into portions and freeze it for easy use when you don't have time to cook from scratch. No made-from-batter-waffle can say that!
As with all of our recipes, make them your own by adding more or less sugar and don't forget to play with toppings. Because the dough ferments, there is a tangy undertone to the finished waffles that plays well with syrup or honey.
Biju’s Belgian Waffles
3/4 cup 2% milk
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) dry active yeast
1 tablespoon cane sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pearl sugar (such as Lars' Own)
Warm milk in a saucepan or microwave. Combine milk, yeast, cane sugar, and 1 cup flour in a mixing bowl and set aside in a warm place (such as inside your oven with only the light turned on) for 15 minutes. In another bowl, whisk together eggs (yes bachelors, you can use a fork for this if you don't own a whisk) honey or maple syrup, butter, and vanilla. Add egg mixture to dough along with salt and remaining flour. Mix into a soft sticky dough. Cover and let rise for 1 hour (again, in a warm place).
Punch down the dough and scrape it from the sides of the bowl. Loosely cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight.
Separate dough into 12 chunks, roll each into a ball, then roll balls in pearl sugar. Cook according to your waffle iron’s directions. (We suggest the Oster Flip Belgian Waffle Maker, which has a nonstick surface, adjustable temperature control, and a body that rotates for even cooking.)
As you remove waffles from the iron, place them in a 250-degree oven in a single layer on a baking sheet until the entire batch is ready to be served. Freeze leftover waffles and reheat them in the toaster for a quick weekday breakfast. Or lunch. Breakfast for dinner works sometimes, too.
Serves six. Serving size: 2 waffles. Per serving: 421 calories, 19 grams fat, 11g protein, 53g carbohydrate, 245mg sodium
