Waffles
We are inspired by a claim in one of our cookbooks that these yeast-risen waffles are the "best". They take some prep time in the morning for a waffle dinner or the night before for a fantastic brunch. Any time of day is perfect for these light, crisp, buttery, delicious waffles! Originally served as part of: Waffles are OK... With Whipped Cream.
- Cinnamon Oatmeal Waffles (October 22, 2003)
- Buttermilk Waffles (March 3, 2003)
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- canola, for waffle iron oil
- 2 large eggs
- pumpkin butter, maple syrup, apple slices, whipped cream toppings
Instructions
We start by putting the stick of butter in a large measuring cup and microwaving it for 30 seconds to melt. It is not quite melted, so we give it another 10 seconds and then set the melted butter aside to cool.
In a large bowl, we combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. We stir well with our flat whisk.
We stir in the milk and vanilla. We set the mixture on the counter for a few minutes before adding the butter.
We stir in the cooled butter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and set it on the counter for 8 hours. The mixture needs to be at room temperature at this point.
When it it almost time for dinner, we wipe the non-stick surfaces of our waffle iron with some canola oil and make sure it is clean and well-greased. We plug it in and heat according to the manufacturer's instructions.
We separate the eggs, putting the whites in the bowl of our Kitchenaid mixer and the yolks in a small bowl. We whisk the yolks with a fork and add them to the risen batter we made 8 hours ago. We also whip our egg whites to soft peaks using the whisk attachment of the stand mixer.
We fold in the whipped egg whites with a spatula until they are almost completely incorporated.
With a ½ cup dry measuring cup, we pour the thick batter onto the pre-heated waffle iron. We close and cook for about 5 minutes—according to the directions for our waffle iron. When a waffle is done, we carefully remove it with our very clean fingers and toss it from one hand to the other to cool slightly and crisp.
We serve immediately. We could have put them in a 250° oven, but our kids could not wait! We continue until all the waffles are cooked. We get 8-10 yummy waffles (some are smaller than others). We serve the waffles with pumpkin butter, maple syrup, apples, and whipped cream.
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp active dry yeast
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- canola oil (for the waffle iron)
- 2 large eggs
- toppings (pumpkin butter, maple syrup, apple slices, whipped cream)
Instructions
What's a kid job?
A Kid job is a step kids can help with, with a grown-up nearby, not one they do on their own. Every kid is different, so go by what your child can do rather than by age. Roughly:
- Little ones (about 2 to 4) can stir, pour in ingredients a grown-up has measured, tear lettuce, wash vegetables and sprinkle toppings.
- Older kids (about 5 to 8) can also measure and level, crack eggs, whisk, roll and cut out dough, and put things together.
- Bigger kids can read the recipe aloud, keep track of the timer, and take on more of the cooking as they're ready.
Steps with a knife, microplane, skewers, stove, oven, grill or hot oil, or with raw meat, poultry or seafood, are marked Grown-up. Kids can still watch those, from a safe distance.
Eight hours ahead (or the night before), melt the butter in a large measuring cup in the microwave, about 40 seconds. Set it aside to cool.
Kid job
Whisk the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl.
Stir in the milk and vanilla and let it sit a few minutes. Stir in the cooled butter, cover with plastic wrap, and leave on the counter for 8 hours.
When it’s nearly time to eat, wipe the waffle iron with oil and heat it.
Separate the eggs, whites into the stand mixer bowl. Beat the yolks with a fork and stir them into the batter. Whip the whites to soft peaks and fold them in until almost blended.
Grown-up
Pour ½ cup of batter onto the iron and cook about 5 minutes, following the iron’s directions. Lift each waffle out and toss it from hand to hand to cool and crisp.
Serve right away (or hold them in a 250°F oven, if the kids can wait). Makes 8 to 10 waffles.