Brussels style waffles
Some of you know the Belgian connection on my Mum’s side of the family. There are several popular varieties of waffles in Belgium, and this is one of them. Perhaps later I’ll put up the Liege style waffles too.
Brussels Waffles
355ml whole milk, warmed to body temperature
25g sugar (I like light muscovado)
1 packet (7g) dry active yeast
3 eggs
355ml room temperature sparkling water
475g self raising flour
150g unsalted butter, melted
Pick of salt
- Heat the waffle iron until it’s piping hot!
- Separate the egg whites and yolks in two bowls, and set them aside.
- Warm the milk and sugar to body around 27C and combine with the yeast. Set it aside to bloom at room temperature for 10 min.
- Lightly beat the egg yolks and whisk in the warmed milk and yeast until incorporated.
- Add the sparkling water and stir gently until it is well-combined.
- Sift the flour directly into the milk mixture and beat with an electric mixer or a hand whisk until all lumps are smoothed out.
- Melt the butter in a small pan and beat the egg whites into stiff peaks.
- Mix the melted butter into the batter and gently fold in stiff egg whites by hand, a third at a time, then mix in a pinch of salt.
- Set the batter aside for 20-30 minutes so the yeast can work and batter has time to rise.
- When the batter shows bubbles an appears “alive”, you’re ready to start baking!
- Make sure to butter all sides of your waffle iron, regardless of whether it is non-stick or not. Pour the batter into the waffle iron waffle, and allow the waffle to brown completely. Every waffle iron is different, so it’s a bit hard to say how long this will take with your machine; it takes 4 minutes at 170C in mine. The waffles should be crisp and brown on the outside.
- Serve with butter and icing sugar, or whipped cream for an authentic Belgian treat.You could also try crispy bacon on top, ham or cheese for a salty & sweet combination.