Belgian Waffles

These Belgian Waffles were made for our Breakast Themed dinner club last month and were the star of our Make Your Own Waffle Bar.  They are extremely light and fluffy in texture.  We put out chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, chopped pecans, blueberries, bananas, strawberry topping, whipped cream, powdered sugar, and syrup so that people could put their personal touch to their waffles. 

The original recipe says the beat the whites and yolks separately to create a light and airy waffle but I don't think this is necessary because by the time you let the batter rise and go to cook the waffles, the air that was whipped into the whites would have separated.  If you want to do this step, however, I suggest mixing the beaten egg whites into the risen batter just before cooking.  Because this recipe uses yeast as the leavening agent, you do need to allow some advance preparation.  Some reviews say that you can mix the ingredients together the night before and then allow it to come up to temperature and finish rising the next morning so that you can have fresh waffles bright and early.

It was interesting to see how as people started to arrive and our house began to get warm from the body heat, the yeast in the batter really went into over-drive and got extra airy.  At the end of the night, we had some extra batter leftover so I made them up and let them cool before freezing them in a ziplock baggy.  They re-heat really well in the toaster (like an Eggo)!

Sadly, I don't have a picture of any waffles but I do have a picture of the waffle bar setup itself.

Belgian Waffles
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Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 20 Min
Ready In: 1 Hr 35 Min
Yields: 8 Waffles

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast (2.5 tsp)
• 1/4 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 large eggs
• 2 3/4 cups warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a small bowl, proof yeast by dissolving the yeast in 1/4 cup warm milk. Let stand until small bubbles form and it looks frothy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1/4 cup of the warm milk and the melted butter. Stir in the yeast mixture, sugar, salt and vanilla. Stir in the remaining 2 1/2 cups milk alternately with the flour, ending with the flour. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Preheat the waffle iron. Spray waffle iron with cooking oil and spoon about 1/2 cup (or as recommended by manufacturer) onto center of iron. Close the lid and bake according to manufacturer directions. Serve immediately or keep warm in 200 degree oven.

Source: All Recipes