I love baking and cooking and 90% of the time you can find me in the kitchen. This means that most of the time while I was an au pair I was making nice breakfasts for the kids. Let’s be honest, they also did get cereal or oatmeal some mornings.
Waffles
Being from Belgium (kind of… but i’ll use it as an excuse) I obviously needed to make my host kids original Belgian waffles. For my 6 month mark, my host parents gifted me a waffle maker, although i’m sure that it was also a gift for them. It seems like so long ago now, but it was definitely used a lot! I would normally make them on the weekends, and very sometimes during the week. They are super easy to make, and a quick fix in the morning because the batter is made the night before, so all you need to do in the morning is turn on the waffle maker and bake them!
Sometimes, I would make half the recipe so I didn’t have too many waffles. But I could always rely on my host parents to finish any leftovers!
Don’t forget add ins! You can add, chocolate chips, blueberries, bananas – possibilities are endless!
My host kids loved eating these in the morning, with a yogurt and some fruit, it makes for a good energizing breakfast for them to start their day. My waffle iron makes a circle one with four quarters and as you can see in the picture I usually give them each 2 quarters (half a waffle).
How do I make them?
Luckily it is pretty easy and quick to do, so if you have 5/10 minutes before bed to ensure you have a great breakfast – I highly recommend the minimal effort.
Add dry ingredients to a bowl, add the wet ingredients into a bowl. Stir it all together and pop it in the fridge.
The next morning you are ready to get baking! It really is that simple. The pictures below show just how simple it is.
What is the best way to bake them?
First thing is first, you need a good waffle iron. I recommend this one; it is the one I have and it tells you when your waffles are ready and you can adjust the browning settings. You can also flip it to make sure both sides are cooked to perfection.
When putting your batter in, do not overfill the pan. I pour until it just reaches the edges, but not completely. It will quish a little bit when you close the lid, and you don’t want the mess of it spilling out of every crevice. Speaking from experience, it is not easy to clean.
How can I store my waffles?
What is great about this recipe is that you can store the batter in the fridge if you don’t use it all in one day. It will keep for a day or two, and the fridge will stop the yeast from being active. If I am planning to do this then I tend to not add anything to the batter. I will pour the batter into the waffle iron and then add some stuff on top before closing the lid.
If you do make all of them, and by some miracle have some leftover you can put them in the fridge for the next day. Or you can put them in the freezer in an airtight container or a freezer bag. Just make sure that it is tightly sealed to prevent freezer burn.
I prefer to reheat mine in a toaster oven, it keeps the outside crispy and the inside nice and soft.
Do I have to make them the day before?
I would highly suggest you do, this lets the yeast rise and develop flavor. If you forgot and promised them for breakfast no need to worry, you can leave them to rise for about an hour. If your oven can go as low as 80°F (27°C) then you can pop them in there for an extra speedy rise. The best taste will come from the overnight rising though.
Recipe
Belgian Waffles
Light and fluffy belgian waffles, perfect for a lazy breakfast.
Ingredients
☐ 2 cups plain flour – 250g☐ 3 tablespoons sugar – 40g
☐ 1 teaspoon salt
☐ 2 teaspoons instant yeast
☐ 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water – 350ml
☐ 6 tablespoons vegetable oil – 90ml
☐ 3 large eggs
☐ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
☐ Any add-ins (measure with your heart)
Directions
- Gather all the ingredients and let them come to room temperature.
- Add all the dry ingredients to a bowl and stir them together.
- Warm the water up in a bowl to about 105°F (40°C).
- Add all the remaining wet ingredients to the water and whisk them together until fully combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients while stirring.
- Stir until just combined, it should be a bit lumpy.
- If you want to add chocolate, stir in lightly (do not over mix)*.
- Cover with plastic wrap and put the mixture in the fridge overnight**.
- The next morning, turn on your waffle maker and allow it to warm up.
- Spray your iron with a release spray and add batter until it almost covers the waffle iron.
- My waffle iron will tell me when it is done, usually around 5 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Enjoy! Remember to add any other toppings; syrup, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, the possibilities are endless!
- * If you want to add in any fruits you can lightly fold them in before you start baking. Or you can sprinkle them on top of your batter as you are putting it in the waffle iron.
- ** If you want an extra rich flavor I recommend leaving them out on the counter for an hour, or until doubled in size before refrigeration.
Nutrition
Per Serving: 255 calories; 12 g fat; 29 g carbohydrates;
6 g protein;
I hope you enjoy these waffles just as much as we do! Please leave a comment if you have tried them!
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