It is believed that waffles are a national Belgian sweet. In fact, this is a pan-European product whose origin is attributed to the ancient Greek culture, and its name is of Dutch origin and means "honeycomb".
Dessert story
Made from sweet dough with eggs, waffles were festive food sold at fairs, festivals and other places where you can meet a lot of people. Today it is no longer a festive dish, but a completely everyday dessert. You can buy them at any store. But if you try them hot, just taken out of a waffle iron, you will never want to buy a finished product. Homemade waffles may not be the dish you can start making early in the morning before work, but if you have free time, this is a great option to treat yourself to delicious food.
Waffles can be served with banana, fried egg, ice cream, or chocolate syrup. In fact, almost all toppings can be combined with this confectionery.
How to cook dough
The waffle recipe has gone through many changes. Before the advent of chemicals in the 19th century, dough was prepared with yeast. Baking powder is more often found in modern instructions, however, both by itself and in combination with soda bicarbonate.
There is no doubt that both ingredients help make the dough tender, but wafers with rising yeast have a more interesting taste and delicate texture. Using yeast may look troublesome, but such a dough can be done in minutes before going to bed, and in the morning proceed to baking.
Buttermilk is another important ingredient in a waffle recipe. However, its acidity may affect other components in the dough. If you use a recipe with dried yeast, it is best to take a mixture of milk and buttermilk. Some cooks also recommend adding cream.
Which components are especially important?
The recipe for classic waffles involves the use of conventional flour, but there are also variations with the addition of a small amount of corn. This is believed to make products more crispy. In addition, experts advise not to mix wet and dry ingredients in one step. Gradual addition is necessary in order to carefully combine all the components, otherwise the active formation of lumps begins to draw gluten from the flour, and as a result the dessert turns out to be tough.
According to the classic recipe for waffles, melted butter should be added to the dough, although some cooks find it normal to use a mixture of butter and margarine. Some cooking options that use baking powder also advise you to separate the eggs by whipping the whites to add extra splendor to the dough.
How to complement the taste?
Like pancakes, waffles can be seasoned with almost anything, but a little sugar and salt help make their taste more pronounced. Many add vanilla, which is ideal if you plan to serve them as a sweet dessert. Experts also recommend adding nutmeg, smoked paprika and a combination of fennel seeds and lemon peel, depending on which topping you suggest to use.
The waffle iron should be carefully prepared. If you start to bake waffles at too low a temperature, the center of the product will remain damp, while a brown crust will quickly form at the edges. That is why the appliance must be evenly warmed up before starting cooking.
What does a classic Belgian waffle recipe look like?
To make perfect Belgian waffles, you need the following ingredients:
- 180 ml of milk;
- 1 tablespoon dry active yeast;
- 1 tablespoon light brown or regular sugar (or more to taste);
- 245 grams of flour;
- 1 tablespoon of cornmeal or polenta;
- 1/2 teaspoon of tea salt;
- 240 ml of buttermilk;
- 6 tablespoons of melted butter tablespoons;
- 1 large egg, beaten;
- oil for lubrication.
How to cook this dessert?
The waffle recipe with the photo looks like this. Heat the milk in a small saucepan (you can use the same one in which you melted the butter). Stir with yeast and a pinch of sugar, then do not touch the mixture until its surface is covered with tiny bubbles. Meanwhile, beat the remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix the buttermilk, molten butter and egg in a deep vessel in parallel.
When everything is ready, pour the milk and yeast into the liquid ingredients, then slowly pour the mixture into the dry. Gently mix with a spoon or spatula. Cover and let the dough stand at room temperature for an hour (or better at night).
Then lightly oil, and then heat the waffle iron. Pour enough dough to cover the base, spread it with a metal spatula, then slightly increase the temperature and close the lid. Cook for about 45 seconds until golden on the underside, then turn over and repeat for about 4 minutes until the product is golden and crispy on the other side. This is a universal recipe for waffles for an electric waffle iron.
These products can be served both hot and cold.
What else are the culinary secrets?
Proper waffles should be crispy on top, but a little airy in the middle, and should smell good. What are the secrets of making a delicious dessert, in addition to those listed above. After a series of practical experiments, one can verify the following.
If you want to use a soft waffle recipe, you must follow a certain rule. The dough should contain well beaten egg whites. When you beat them to hard peaks, they contain a lot of air and make the dough look like a souffle. As a result, waffles are incredibly light and airy, not heavy and dense.
As noted above, some chefs recommend adding corn flour or starch to the dough. Although this is considered an optional component, it can improve the taste and texture of the finished product. The addition of cornmeal protects the wafers from absorbing excess liquid (steam during cooking). So there was a recipe for crispy waffles.
How to flavor sweet waffles?
A good natural flavor is Amaretto (almond) liquor. This makes waffles more delicious and fragrant. If you do not have this liquor, be sure to use some kind of vanilla or almond extract or any other spice. This affects not only the smell, but also the taste of the dessert. However, do not mix too many flavors at the same time.
It is also worth noting that modern housewives love too much various substitutes. This makes cooking easier, but can greatly affect the taste. Be sure to use real milk buttermilk in your waffle recipe. Condensed milk or other similar products are not suitable here. This is true for any homemade waffle recipe.
And of course, you will never get a quality product if your waffle iron does not work too well. Do not use a malfunctioning or malfunctioning device. Not only the correct temperature is important, but also the uniformity of heating, as well as the ability to completely distribute the liquid inside the mold.
How to serve ready-made waffles?
Of course, you can serve waffles in their pure form. If you have prepared them in compliance with all the rules, they will turn out delicious and fragrant. But still it is advisable to pour them with maple or berry syrup or honey. A combination of butter and icing sugar, applied to a hot dessert, is also ideal. Some waffle recipes by default assume that the finished product will be coated with a layer of sweet filler.
Another good tip
If the wafers remain wet after baking, place them 180 degrees in the oven for 5 minutes directly on the metal racks (and not on the baking sheet). This will dry the dough by removing excess steam from it and make the products crispy.
And another improved waffle recipe
This option for making waffles is different from the classic. Such products are obtained crispy and golden and at the same time airy inside. They are ideal for dessert or a light snack, they can be served with butter, syrup, jam and many other toppings. For them you will need the following:
- 2 eggs, divided into yolks and squirrels;
- 2 cups whole buttermilk;
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil;
- 1 tablespoon amaretto or similar aromatic liquor;
- one and a half cups of universal flour;
- 1/2 cup corn starch;
- 1 tablespoon baking powder;
- 1/2 teaspoon of tea salt;
- 3 tablespoons of sugar.
How to do it?
An improved waffle recipe in a waffle iron is as follows. Separate the egg yolks from the proteins, and mix the egg yolks, buttermilk, vegetable oil and amaretto thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, corn starch, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Mix the remaining egg whites with sugar and beat until hard peaks.
Pour the buttermilk fluid slowly into the flour mixture (make sure the dough is still liquid), then carefully add the egg whites, trying to leave them as fluffy as possible. Place the dough in a preheated waffle iron and bake for about 3-4 minutes.
Wafer rolls
In addition to Belgian lush waffles, many familiar from childhood crispy wafer dough rolls filled with cream. This recipe is very different from the classic, because the dough here has a different texture. To make this dessert, you need the following:
- 200 grams of butter or margarine;
- 4 large eggs;
- a glass of white sugar;
- 2 cups all-purpose flour.
How to cook it?
First of all, you should melt butter or margarine in a water bath. You can do this in the microwave, but carefully and in stages. Using a mixer, you need to beat the eggs, while you do not need to separate them into proteins and yolks (this can also be done with a whisk or a blender).
Pour sugar and flour into melted butter, and pour in beaten eggs. All components must be mixed very carefully. The finished dough should be similar to sour cream in consistency.
Lubricate the waffle iron with a small amount of oil, warm it evenly and start baking waffles, pouring one tablespoon of the dough at a time. One tube is enough for about two to three minutes before baking. As soon as each product is ready, in a hot state twist it into a tube. While they are still warm, you should add a filling to them.
Boiled condensed milk and any jam can be used as a filler. You can also make a cream or custard, but in this case you need to wait for the tubes to cool slightly, and only after that start to fill them.