Yeasted Waffles

I have a favorite waffle recipe.  I do, but I think  we have a new favorite at our house when it comes to these little Saturday morning breakfast delicacies.   A few months ago I taught my very last Macey's class.  It was a little sad.  I've been teaching these classes for the last 9 years if you can imagine.  It's always been a lot of fun, and I have loved getting to know all the ladies and the few gents that came to my class.  We never made anything too fancy, but it always tasted dang good.  I've made more mistakes during these classes than a presenter should be allowed, but the folks attending classes were always so kind.  I will say we probably had more good laughs than anything else.  I think my skinny dipping adventure at Leigh Lake will never be forgotten by most of my Macey's friends.   It turned us into true friends really quick.  (If you don't know what I'm talking about-------you  are lucky.  The visual is just a little too much.)  So my last class taught was a waffle night.  I've collected quite a few recipes over the years, but I've never tried them.  I was stuck in a rut, and I just didn't want to venture out.  A Macey's class was the perfect venue for trying something new.

The three waffle recipes were all different.  The first was my old tried and true.  The second was a Shortbread Waffle recipe that surely was meant to be served with ice cream and chocolate sauce.  And the third was a yeasted waffle.  I'd never heard of a yeasted waffle, and I was intrigued.  Turns out, it was the favorite waffle of the night.  It is very easy, but it does require a little planning in advance.  The batter needs to be made the night before.  Other than that though, it's pretty straight forward.  The batter is a little thin, and the waffles turned out prettiest in one of those nifty "flip over" waffle irons.  I don't own one of those at home, but if you can imagine, all waffle irons can be turned over on their tops.  It totally worked and the waffles were beautiful.  James and Emma loved these waffles.  They just kept eating Sat. morning. They are not quite as filling as other waffles so you can eat way more than a normal waffle.   The house smelled a little like beer as I was making these, but that didn't stop us.  The overnighting of the batter makes a bit of a sourdough dough, giving you the smell.  The taste was spectacular though!  It has a strong bready flavor, and just tasted wonderful.  This will become our new waffle of choice on Sat. mornings.  Make sure you have some lovely Buttermilk Syrup to soak up, and fresh berries make everything better.

Overnight Yeasted Waffles

(Courtesy of Allrecipes)

2 cups milk

2 1/4 t. yeast

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1/2 cup butter, melted (or oil)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon white sugar

3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. ( I actually just microwaved my milk for 2 mins.  Saves you some dishes.)  In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. (Here again I just added it straight to the bowl.  Who wants extra dishes.) 

In a large bowl, combine milk, yeast mixture, butter, salt, sugar and flour. Mix thoroughly with rotary or electric mixer until batter is smooth. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.

The next morning, stir beaten eggs and baking soda into the batter; beat well.

Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.  This is where I differed.  I poured the batter onto the iron, clipped the lid shut and then immediately flipped the iron over.  The batter rises a lot, and can actually make a huge mess as it oozes out the side of your waffle iron.  After the first waffle though, I was able to gauge just how much batter to put in each time.  After a minute or two I flipped the iron back the right way.  It worked perfectly.  If you don't flip your iron the waffle iron squares don't fill in completely and your waffle looks a little less than perfect.  It will still taste good though:)