After years (and I do mean, years) of "waffling" on the question of buying a waffle maker, I finally got one over Christmas! It's been the most exciting new "toy" and I've been having such fun taste-testing classic waffle recipes with my family. I can tell you there sure are a lot of waffle recipes out there and I'm only talking about your basic waffles. I haven't even gotten into savory waffles or flavored waffles, or using the waffle maker to make other things like omelettes or pizza.
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| There's been a lot of "waffleing" at my house lately! |
I've made and taste-tested six basic waffle recipes so far. I thought it would be fun to lay them out here and share what we thought of them. The weekend is just around the corner so let's settle in and chat about waffles, and if you have a favorite waffle recipe, please send it my way!
Before we get into specifics, I did come to a few overall conclusions:
- There were no "bad" waffles. We ate all the versions I made thus far and enjoyed each variety. They each had something going for them and were tasty and enjoyable in their own way. All waffles were happily eaten and nothing wasted in our taste experiment.
- A lot of waffle recipes are quite similar. With the exception of the yeast waffles, we're generally talking milk or buttermilk, butter vs. oil, whole eggs or folding in separately whipped egg whites. Proportions are about the same but little nuances make small changes, and you just have to try them to see what you prefer...or discover that you like them all and just want to mix it up at different times.
- Making waffles is fun! I haven't flipped a pancake in a few weeks and it's been such a nice change. While the waffles are cooking, you can do other things and prep the rest of breakfast. Keep them warm on a rack-lined baking sheet in the oven while you cook the batches and freeze extras for a quick breakfast on the weekdays. Waffles are definitely a good thing.
Now for the fun part! Here are the 6 waffle recipes my family and I have been noshing on in the past month or so. I'll give you an intro, our taste-testing takeaway, and what I might want to do differently next time. I might even name a favorite!
1. Classic Belgian Waffles
The waffle maker I got for Christmas is a deep-pocket Belgian-style waffle maker so I suppose all the waffles I tried were technically "Belgian" waffles. But for lack of a better title, I'll say this first recipe is what we think of as a "classic" Belgian waffle in terms of what we expect here in the States.
Recipe: I used The Pioneer Woman's recipe. The highlights or main ingredients are milk (vs. buttermilk), butter (vs. oil), a good amount of vanilla extract and sugar, and separately whipped egg whites that are folded into the batter to lighten and crisp the waffles.
Taste-taste takeaway: These waffles earned the "taste award" at our house! They had incredible flavor - sweet, with a strong undertone of vanilla. They reminded my husband and me of Hong Kong egg waffles in their sweet custardy flavor. On the slight downside, they didn't turn out as crisp as we wanted and were perhaps slightly too sweet for me personally.
What I'd like to do different/try next time: I'd love to make these again, with a little less sugar.
2. Overnight Yeasted Waffles
Long before I got the waffle maker, I'd been compiling a mental (then written) list of recipes I had to try. I have to say this yeasted waffle recipe has been the one I was most eager to try after hearing so much about it and knowing the magic of yeast.
Recipe: The classic overnight raised - or yeasted - waffle recipe comes from Marion Cunningham and I used the recipe I found via Smitten Kitchen. The batter is actually not suitable for a deep pocket Belgian-style waffle maker like the one I have but I increased the baking soda to 1/2 teaspoon (from 1/4 teaspoon...a tip I picked up here) and it worked quite well.
The highlight of this recipe is the use of active dry yeast in the batter, which you let sit overnight. You can set the batter in the fridge to rise but room temperature is recommended for a more flavorful waffle.
Taste-taste takeaway: My oh my, these waffles were unusual and special! If the Belgian waffles above took the "taste/flavor award", these yeasted waffles certainly earned the "texture award"! The texture is something ethereal that's unlike anything we've had before. The waffles are so crisp and light as a feather. When you bite into it, you get that sharp crispness that practically shatters but it isn't harsh or rough...and the waffles just melt in your mouth.
My husband took the pic above to show the airiness and texture of these remarkable waffles.
Taste-wise, I let my batter sit overnight and I can tell you we tasted the complex, somewhat fermented, yeast flavor. I want to tell you we loved that but actually, we didn't. It was interesting and we didn't exactly dislike it but it was just a bit too strong for us. It left us wishing we could take this texture and combine it with the flavor from the first waffles we tested.
What I'd like to do different/try next time: These overnight waffles are pretty amazing. Next time, I'd let the batter sit in the refrigerator overnight (instead of on the counter at room temperature) and see if it results in a slightly milder flavor that my family and I might actually prefer.
*Update (April 2016): We happily re-tested these overnight yeast waffles by letting the batter sit overnight in the refrigerator instead of on the counter (though I set it out for about an hour in the morning before cooking). The batter does not rise as much and as expected, you end up with a milder flavor waffle. You can still detect the yeast flavor but it is distinctly less sourdough-like than the alternative. I also noticed that the waffles were not quite as ethereally crisp, but still airy and light and still crisp yet slightly chewy. Overall, we liked it a lot (on par with the winning waffle recipe)! The milder flavor suits us but I recommend trying it both ways to see what you prefer.
Ever since I got my waffle maker, we have waffles pretty often for weekend breakfast. I mix it up between several recipes and these Belgian waffles, adapted from The Pioneer Woman, is one of those on our rotation. Folding whipped egg whites into the batter helps make the waffles crisp and we really like their simple sweet, vanilla flavor. Usually, we reach for maple syrup but I thought I'd change it up and make a berry compote, much like what we had at Balthazar a few months ago. 
It's often the little things, small touches, that make something special and so, sometimes it's nice to take an extra step like making a berry compote to go with your waffles. While fresh berries are a great option right now, I used frozen mixed berries so that I could have a mix of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, as well as blackberries in this little compote. It's so convenient and literally takes just minutes to make. 
Into a pot, I simply added frozen mixed berries that I thawed the night before (you can use fresh berries, of course), along with some orange zest, sugar, and if you like, a splash of Grand Marnier. I love the hint of orange flavor in the background. It just takes a few minutes to heat up the mixture and melt the sugar. In the last minute of cooking, stir in a little cornstarch slurry to thicken the liquid...and your berry compote is ready for breakfast!
We enjoyed it with the waffles and I made it particularly with my husband in mind. His sweet tooth starts early in the day with a preference for sweet breakfasts. Frankly, he also prefers his fruit with extra sugar. This is right up his alley and a nice treat to enjoy on an occasional weekend morning. 
