One upside to these waffles could also be construed as a downside - you have to decide the night before that you are going to make them and then prep the batter after dinner. That's the hard part. OK, that and the fact that they take longer to cook than regular waffles.
I follow the recipe from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham, 13th Edition (1990).
Raised Waffles
1/2 cup warm water - works better if you remove the chlorine by using Brita (or similar) pitcher water warmed in the microwave.
1 package dry yeast (those of us who use yeast frequently are more likely to have it in a jar. 2 1/4 teaspoons is the same as a package, but if you use de-chlorinated water then 2 t is plenty.)
2 cups warm milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup melted butter (can use only 1/4 cup with no ill results)
1 t salt
1 t sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 t baking soda
1) Get a large mixing bowl and add the yeast. Stir in the water and let it stand while you prepare the rest.
2) Put the milk in a saucepan on the stove and add the butter and sugar and salt. Warm slowly so that the milk doesn't scald and the butter melts. Make sure that you can stick your finger in the milk before you add it to the yeast-y water or you will kill the yeast.
3) Add the flour to the water and yeast mixture that has been waiting for you.
4) Carefully add the milk mixture and whisk away to get rid of lumps.
5) Cover your bowl with a dinner plate and let stand on the counter overnight. It is a good idea to check for bubbles in the batter before you go to bed to make sure that you didn't kill the yeast. If there aren't bubbles, add another 1 t of yeast and consider a backup plan for breakfast.
In the morning...
1) Preheat your waffle iron.
2) Mix the eggs and baking soda into your batter which will have increased considerably overnight. Whisk it well.
3) The batter is very thin - be careful not to use too much for your waffle iron or it will make a mess.
4) These take a pretty long time to cook, so rather than relying on a timer or a beeper on your waffle iron, watch for the steam to cease. Then they are done.
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4 comments:
The waffles will be even better if you:
(1) Separate the eggs
(2) Stir the yolks into the batter in the morning
(3) Beat the whites into soft peaks
(4) Carefully fold the whites into the batter --- you know, stir in half the whites to lighten the batter, then verrrrrry gently fold in the other half of the whites --- just before you begin ironing the waffles.
Yes, more work, but I contend that the extra step makes the "best" waffles.
I do concur that stirring in the yolks (after beating lightly), and then folding in the beaten whites helps a lot. This technique also improves regular buttermilk waffles and pancakes.
I neglected to mention that this batter will keep in the fridge for a couple of days if you don't want to cook it all at once. If you cook all the batter but don't plan to eat all of the waffles, leave the last ones a little underdone, allow to cool on a wire rack and then package for later toasting. They aren't as good the 2nd day but better than you might expect!
Curious.. how do they differ from the non-yeast variety of waffles.. texture? Flavor? Consistency?
The taste is amazing - kind of like a raised doughnut that you made at home without the frying, but the texture is the real winner in my book. The outside can become amazingly crisp while the inside almost melts. They are not heavy. And they make a yummy, yeasty smell in the kitchen.
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