Liege Style Belgian Waffle Recipes

LIèGE WAFFLE

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the yeast in water (or milk).
• Add half of the flour 2 cups), the eggs, 2 tablespoons of butter and the sugar. Mix until everything is combined.
• Sprinkle with the remaining flour and butter and the cinnamon (or vanilla).
• Let sit for 30 minutes in a warm place away from drafts.
• Using the dough hook, knead everything and add more flour if necessary. The dough should not be sticky.
• Let stand for 15 minutes in a warm place, away from drafts,
• Roll out the dough to a thickness of ½ inch (1 cm) using a rolling pin and sprinkle the whole surface with pearl sugar.
• Roll it on itself.
• Divide the dough into 12 pieces, and let them rest for 15 minutes.
• Bake the waffles in a waffle iron until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

AUTHENTIC BELGIAN LIèGE WAFFLES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the milk, water, and yeast *.If using Active Dry Yeast, gently mix with a spatula and set aside to bloom the yeast for ~5-10 minutes. Once bloomed, add in the granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix just until combined and continue to step 2.If using Instant Yeast, add the milk, water, yeast, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix just until combined and continue to step 2.
• Stop the mixer and add in the eggs, honey, and vanilla. Mix until combined. Add in 2 cups of flour and mix until the flour is hydrated and mostly mixed in. Stop the mixer, scrape down the paddle attachment, and switch to the dough hook.
• Add in the salt and 1/2 cup of flour at a time with the mixer on low until all of the flour is combined. You may not need all of the flour depending on how humid your space is. The flour dough should start to pull away slightly. Next, add in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Be patient here as the butter will take a few minutes to incorporate itself into the dough. The dough will come back together. Remove the dough ball from the bowl and transfer it to a larger clean bowl lightly greased. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on the counter in a warm, dry place until doubled in size (1-3 hours).
• When doubled, deflate the dough by punching it down in the center and bringing the edges of the dough over the top (like you're folding it into itself). Replace the cover and put the bowl of dough in the fridge to allow it to ferment overnight.*Note you can skip the overnight fridge resting if you are short on time. Move to step 6 to continue. The cold ferment just helps develop more flavors in the waffle.
• If you cold fermented the dough, the next day, remove the dough from the fridge and allow the dough to come to room temp (about 2 hours).
• Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured board. Flatten the dough out into a rectangle and spread out 1 1/2 cups of pearl sugar. Fold the bottom third up and then the top third on top of that. Press down and add the rest of the pearl sugar. Fold the sides up to form a rectangle. Slowly cup the dough and roll it out into a log about 12-14" long Divide the dough into 12 pieces, shape into balls, flatten slightly into round discs, and place on a parchment-lined pan. Cover with lightly sprayed plastic wrap.
• Heat up your Belgian waffle maker. Since all makers are different, you'll have to fiddle around with yours. I would advise starting off on low and increase the temperature a little at a time until you find the correct setting that will caramelize your sugars and cook your waffles to the perfect golden caramel brown. Spray the iron with non-stick spray and place a round of dough in the center of your waffle maker. Close and cook until the waffle puffs up, cooked through and the sugar pearls are caramelized. Carefully remove from the maker, and serve immediately or place it on a cooling rack.

LIEGE BELGIAN WAFFLES WITH PEARL SUGAR

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast and white sugar over warm milk in a small bowl. The milk should be no more than 100 degrees F (40 degrees C). Let stand for 15 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.
• Whisk the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract into the yeast mixture until evenly blended; set aside. Stir together the flour and salt in a separate large bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well, then stir in the flour mixture until a soft dough forms. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes. Gently mix in the pearl sugar.
• Preheat a waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Place a baseball-size ball of dough on the preheated waffle iron. Cook waffles until golden and crisp, about 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough. Allow waffles to cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

GAUFRES DE LIèGE (LIèGE BELGIAN WAFFLES)

Steps:

• Combine the lukewarm water, brown sugar, and active dry yeast in a mixing bowl. Whisk all the ingredients then let them rest for about 5 minutes and/or until the mixture is foamy.
• In a separate mixing bowl that can be used with a standing mixer, combine the all-purpose flour and salt. Mix for about 30 seconds at medium speed.
• Make a "well" in your dry mixture and then pour in the yeast mixture in the middle. Mix for 1 minute at medium speed. #SpoonTip: The "well" in the dry mixture is made so the dough when mixed will incorporate the yeast mixture in a manner that will result in the batter resembling "crumbly". If your batter is thick, you may want to start over.
• Add 1 egg to the mixture and once again mix at medium speed for about 30 seconds. Repeat this step two more times with the remaining 2 eggs. At this point your dough should look quite sticky and chunky.
• While the mixer is still running, melt the two sticks of unsalted butter. Then combine the melted butter with the vanilla extract, and pour this butter mixture into the flour mixture while again still mixing. Mix for about another minute. Make sure to pour in the butter mixture SLOWLY (if you pour it in too quickly you will end up with super soggy waffles).
• Once all the mixing is complete, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest (or proof) for about 1 hour and 45 minutes. This is so the dough can rise and the yeast can work its magic.
• After the dough has risen, add 1 cup of Belgian Pearl Sugar and fold the sugar into the batter. The dough will be VERY sticky, but make sure to really integrate the sugar.
• Prepare your waffle iron. Once it's ready and hot enough, brush some melted butter on both sides of the waffle iron. Then place about 1 cup of waffle batter on the lower portion of the waffle iron and lock in place.
• Cook waffles for about 3-5 minutes, or whatever standard timing your waffle maker has programmed. Take your waffle out and enjoy! #SpoonTip: For Waring waffle makers, like the one used in the video, it takes about 3 1/2 minutes to cook these waffles.

LIèGE WAFFLES

Steps:

• Combine the milk and 1/4 cup (60 milliliters) water in a small saucepan and heat until lukewarm, 110 to 116 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Transfer milk mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add brown sugar and yeast and stir to combine; set aside 5 minutes. (The yeast should look foamy. If it doesn't foam, discard and try again with different yeast.)
• Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Using the dough hook attachment on your mixer, stir in all but 1 cup of the flour. Mix in salt. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, thoroughly mixing after each addition and scraping down the bowl before adding the next. Add the remaining 1 cup flour and mix on low speed, stopping once or twice to pull the dough off the hook, about 5 minutes, or until the dough is glossy, pulls away from the side of the bowl and has gathered in a ball on the hook.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 2 hours. The dough will double in size. Stir the puffed dough with a spoon to deflate, then re-cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
• Remove dough from refrigerator and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in the pearl sugar (or your homemade version) a little at a time. The dough will be stiff but will become more pliable as it warms. Cut dough into 16 equal pieces with a bench scraper or chef's knife and return to the refrigerator.
• Heat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Working with 1 or 2 balls of dough at a time (leave the rest in the refrigerator), arrange on the waffle iron and cook until golden brown all over, 2 to 5 minutes depending on your iron. Use tongs to transfer waffles to a baking sheet or cooling rack. Some of the sugar will melt out of the waffles and collect in your iron, adding an extra layer of glossy molten sugar to each waffle as you continue. Serve waffles warm.

LIEGE WAFFLES

Steps:

• Special equipment: Good quality waffle iron with adjustable settings and that turns upside down, preferably cast iron.
• Put the flour in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. Whisk together the eggs, and then add the milk, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds and honey in a large bowl. Add the mixture to the flour and mix for 1 minute. Add the yeast and continue to mix until the dough becomes smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Begin adding the butter, at low speed, piece by piece and continue mixing until it's incorporated into the dough. Add the salt, increase the speed to high and continue mixing until the dough becomes a shiny solid mass and totally pulls away from the bottom and sides of the bowl, 10 to 15 minutes. The dough needs to be very elastic, you shouldn't be able to break the dough when pulled. Add the sugar and mix until it is just incorporated, about 1 minute.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 48 even pieces, roll into balls, place on the parchment, cover with clean cotton towels and let rise in a warm area until almost tripled in size, anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours.
• Heat the waffle iron to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray the waffle iron with nonstick spray or brush with melted butter. Cook the waffles until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.

LIEGE WAFFLES (BELGIAN PEARL SUGAR WAFFLES)

Steps:

• Mix yeast, water, sugar and salt, and let develop for 15 minutes.
• Place flour into a large bowl.
• Make a well, pour in yeast mixture, and begin to knead.
• Continue to knead, add eggs, one at a time, and add soft butter, 2 tablespoons each addition, mixing well.
• Let dough rest in bowl until doubled.
• Gently mix in pearl sugar.
• Let rest for 15 minutes.
• Heat waffle iron.
• When hot, butter waffle iron, pour in 3 tablespoons dough per waffle.
• Cook for 3-5 minutes, until waffles lightly brown on top.
• Serve warm or room temperature.
• Enjoy!