Belgian Waffles
by Kelly J. Larson
Once upon a time I lived in Belgium for five months (followed by eleven months in The Netherlands) and fell madly in love with the country, the people, the scenery, the language and of course, the food. A hot, freshly cooked cone full of frites topped with mayonnaise (or Indonesian peanut sauce, aka pindasaus, up north in Holland) was one of my favorite memories. My husband and I celebrated our anniversary in Belgium two years ago and we loved everything while visiting Gent, Brugge and Brussels.We concluded that Belgian chocolate lives up to all the hype and encountered an endless number of chocolatiers.
We were all about finding good food on this trip and fared very well. We definitely indulged and shortly after returning home, I looked in the mirror and went on a diet. These next few images will help to portray the calories we consumed. Everything was awesome. None of the chocolates, lunches or dinners were much of a surprise or cultural awakening to my husband, the other Kelly. There is however one food that gave him an attitude adjustment. For many years he has heard me go on and on about Belgian waffles and has said that he isn’t very interested in them. They’re no big deal. Pancakes. Waffles. Whatever. They’re all the same. He likes them, but they’re nothing special.On a hot, summer night along the cobblestone paved canals of Gent, Belgium, he finally saw the light. He gets me now, at least my adoration for the Belgian waffle. N-o-t-h-i-n-g compares to a hot-off-the-griddle Belgian waffle.Back when I lived in Leuven as a missionary, I frequently bought plain Belgian waffles from a street vendor and they were flawless and perfect. Kelly ordered his first ever Belgian waffle, loaded with strawberries and whipped cream. To my surprise, I found the decked out version to be quite heavenly also.I have enjoyed scrolling through photos from our trip and got carried away from sharing the actual recipe. Tonight we had guests visiting Texas for a wedding. Rather than making something with a Texas twist, I whipped up Belgian Liege waffles, a bit of waffle love while our visitors are in Austin. Like always, when I’m obsessed with a certain food, I try to figure it out to cook at home. I have found a winner recipe on the back of the Lars pearl sugar package. Recent updated packaging says to add 1/4 cup brown sugar, but I don’t recommend that. No need to complicate things or reinvent the wheel. Seriously. Their original version is a breeze and tastes fantastic.
Belgian Waffles
- 1 tablespoon instant dry yeast (SAF is my preference)
- 3/4 cup very warm milk (I microwave cold milk for 45 seconds)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 3-1/2 cups flour
- 1 bag Lars pearl sugar (add after rising for 30 minutes or more until the dough doubles in size)
Add yeast and milk to Kitchen Aid mixer and wait about five minutes until the mixture gets bubbly. Add salt, butter, eggs, flour and mix for about three minutes. Remove bowl, then cover with a lid (or plate) while the dough rises. After 30 minutes to two hours, roughly, add the pearl sugar. The dough is now ready for a Belgian waffle maker. Using a large stainless steel cookie scoop, add an excessively heaping scoop to each well and close waffle maker until light indicates it is done. Remove with wooden tongs, then serve with optional toppings such as whipped cream and strawberries or raspberries.
Store remaining waffles in a plastic zippered bag or container to eat within a few days.
Makes 12 waffles, 348 calories each.
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