This is what you imagine when you say the word"Waffles"? Most likely, your imagination draws pale yellow thin and fragile plates with a checkered pattern, collected in multi-layered wafer bars with some kind of chocolate or cream filling. In any case, the confectionery industry does not offer us anything else. Well, also wafer cake layers or wafer crumbs on some branded candies. Oh yeah! And wafer ice cream cones! Those of us whose childhood passed to the sound of crispy wafer cones with condensed milk, remember other wafers. Toasted and crispy - those for wafer cones, and also soft, fluffy, with a mind-blowing aroma and simply divine taste. Such wafers were baked in an antediluvian (from today's point of view) waffle iron right on the stove. And our grandmothers and mothers had no idea that they were using a recipe for Belgian waffles. And they weren’t even called waffles, considering them a special type of homemade cookies. Meanwhile, in Belgium, such waffles are rightfully considered one of the country’s cultural attractions. True, fluffy rich waffles are prepared not only in their homeland, but also in other countries. Moreover, they are called Belgian anywhere, but not in Belgium itself. And real waffles from Belgium are Flemish, Liege and Brussels. These waffles are made from yeast dough or dough mixed with beer. In the American version, Belgian waffles are prepared from dough with baking powder (baking powder). We offer you original recipes by which you can prepare real Belgian waffles or their most famous versions.
A bit of history
Wafers are a special type of dry biscuit.And waffles were invented by German-speaking peoples a very, very long time ago. According to some sources, waffles first appeared in Germany in the 13th century. And they got their name from the word Wabe, which the ancient Franks called honeycombs. But Belgian waffles seem to have their own independent history, since they are made from a special dough and were invented by the court chef of the Prince of Liege. In Belgium, the waffle recipe is known in two main versions - Liege waffles and Brussels waffles. The first waffles are round and hard cookies, inside of which are pieces of caramelized sugar or, as they are also called, sugar pearls. Soft and fluffy Brussels waffles are more like baked pancakes. Brussels waffles are made from yeast dough, and another variety of Belgian waffles is called Flemish waffles. Sometimes the Belgian waffle recipe includes beer instead of yeast. And if in Belgium this delicacy was known since the 18th century, then the rest of the world learned about it after the World Exhibition of 1958 (yes, culinary achievements are also assessed at this exhibition!). Belgian sweet waffles were to the taste of Europeans, Americans, and Soviet citizens. And in the USSR they even began to produce special round waffle irons, in which waffles could be cooked directly on the stove. The Americans modernized the recipe for Belgian waffles, replacing yeast with baking powder. But be that as it may, the original recipe for this confectionery product has remained unchanged to this day. Try different recipes for Belgian waffles and appreciate this amazing culinary invention.
Flemish waffles
This is a recipe for waffles made with dough onyeast. Flemish waffles are fluffy, soft, sweet and very tender. And they are served with creamy vanilla sauce, fruit syrup or regular condensed milk. Ingredients:
- Dry yeast - 3-5 g;
- Milk - 2 cups;
- Flour - 2.5 cups;
- Salt - 2 pinch;
- Eggs - 4 pieces;
- Sugar - 2 tablespoons;
- Butter - 7 tablespoons;
- Vanilla sugar - 1 teaspoon;
- Cognac - 3 tablespoons.
Preparation:Dissolve the yeast in a quarter cup of warm milk and leave until it foams. Then sift the flour into a bowl and mix it with salt. Now gather the flour into a mound, make a hole in the mound and break one raw egg into it, pour in the foamed yeast and all the sugar. Mix and add milk and three egg yolks. Then knead the dough until smooth. At the very end of kneading, add cognac, vanilla sugar and melted (not hot!) butter to the dough. Mix thoroughly again. Now beat the egg whites into a soft, stable foam and carefully mix them into the dough, adding them in small portions. Cover the bowl with the dough with a clean towel and put it in a warm place for about an hour. Knead the finished dough and bake the waffles in a hot waffle iron. Serve immediately after cooking. Flemish waffles should be eaten immediately, as they say, hot off the stove. Because freshly baked waffles have a crispy crust and a fluffy soft center. If these waffles lie down and cool down a bit, they will become very soft and will more closely resemble our traditional pancakes.
Brussels waffles
The recipe for this version of Belgian wafflesis notable for the fact that the dough for them is prepared with beer. Traditional Brussels waffles are not very sweet, soft and fluffy. These rectangular waffles are served with fresh strawberries and bananas, and are also seasoned with whipped cream, jam or simply sprinkled with powdered sugar. So, for Brussels waffles we will need the following ingredients:
- A glass of flour;
- 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- A glass of light beer;
- A teaspoon of vanilla sugar;
- 2 teaspoons of lemon peel;
- A pinch of salt;
- Egg;
- Half a teaspoon of lemon juice;
- A teaspoon of vanilla sugar.
Preparation:In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients: flour, salt and vanilla sugar. Grate the lemon zest and squeeze out the lemon juice. Add the zest to the flour and pour the juice into a separate bowl. Then add beer, vegetable oil and egg to the juice and beat this mixture. Now combine both mixtures and knead the dough. Leave the dough to rise for two hours, and then bake the waffles in a special form or in an electric waffle iron for about three minutes.
Liege waffles
Another recipe for Belgian waffles.These waffles are hard, and their traditional shape is round or oval. The recipe is remarkable in that these Belgian waffles are rolled in granulated sugar before cooking. During baking, the sugar caramelizes and gives the waffles an unusual taste. According to legend, this recipe owes its appearance to the whim of the Prince of Liege. This prince puzzled his court chef, ordering him to bake an unusual sweet bun. Having added sugar to the finished dough, the puzzled chef prepared something for the prince that he had never tried before. In general, everyone was happy, and the result was a recipe for Belgian waffles in Liege style. Ingredients:
- Flour - 2 cups;
- Dry yeast - a teaspoon;
- Eggs - 2 pieces;
- Vanilla sugar - a teaspoon;
- Milk is an incomplete glass;
- Butter - 200 g;
- Sugar is an incomplete glass;
- Salt - a third of a teaspoon.
Preparation:Heat half the milk and dissolve the yeast in it. Leave it to rise for about fifteen minutes, and in the meantime beat the eggs with salt and the remaining milk (as for an omelette). Place the softened butter in a bowl, add the sifted flour and rub. Then pour the yeast into this mixture, add the egg-milk mixture and stir with a whisk, mixer or regular spoon. The dough should be soft and sticky. After that, cover the bowl with the dough with a clean towel and leave it to rise for half an hour. Divide the finished dough into twelve pieces, roll each of them in granulated sugar and bake Liege waffles in an electric waffle iron for one to two minutes.
Belgian waffles in American style
Any recipe, going beyond the borders of its homeland,necessarily adapts to the tastes of the inhabitants of the country where it goes. This is what happened with Belgian waffles. As soon as the recipe for their preparation came to America, where yeast baking is not particularly popular, it immediately changed. And in the American version, these waffles are prepared with baking powder, which acts as yeast and makes the dough fluffy. So, the American recipe for Belgian waffles. Ingredients:
- Flour - 1 glass;
- Milk - 1 glass;
- Margarine or butter - 120 g;
- Eggs - 3 pieces;
- Sugar sand - a third of the glass;
- Vanilla sugar - a sachet;
- Mineral water - half a glass;
- Salt - a third of a teaspoon;<
- Baking powder - half a teaspoon.
Preparation: Separate the eggs into whites and yolks.Cool the whites and then beat them into a stiff foam. Grind the yolks with sugar until white, combine them with margarine, vanilla sugar and beat. Combine the sifted flour with salt and baking powder, pour in the milk and add the egg-oil mixture. Knead the dough thoroughly, and at the end of cooking, add mineral water and beaten whites. Mix carefully and bake the waffles in an electric waffle iron until a pleasant golden color. Here are the different versions of these amazing waffles. Only Belgian waffles turn out thick and fluffy. In the rest of the world, waffles are thin dry cookies with a porous structure and a cellular surface. But Belgian waffles are something special. Try it! Choose a recipe for Belgian waffles and cook - you will not regret it. Just cook with pleasure. Bon appetit and success in the culinary field! We recommend reading:
