Brussels Waffles The waffle that most North Americans would think of as a Belgian waffle is known in Belgium as gaufre de Bruxelles, "the Brussels waffle". General Belgian affection for it is sufficiently great that this waffle was chosen as one of the Belgian national "birthday cakes" for the European Union's fiftieth birthday celebrations.
The Brussels waffle is based on a batter raised with yeast -- as opposed to most North American waffle or pancake batters, which are raised with baking powder. And this is where many North American attempts at the Brussels/Belgian waffle fall down: the yeast raising changes the chemistry of the batter, producing a tenderer crumb in the finished waffle than a baking-powder raising can.
The yeast and the beaten egg whites which are folded into the batter work together to produce a light crisp waffle. The Brussels waffle is rectangular and usually about an inch thick, with fairly deep "dimples". When you buy it on the street or in a shop in Belgium, it usually comes dusted with a little confectioners' sugar / icing sugar, and maybe spread with chocolate or thick whipped cream. But you can also get it piled high with fruit and other goodies.
To make the gauffre de Bruxelles / Brussels waffle, you need:
(smaller version of the ingredients: the original ones, halved)
500 g / scant 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
30 g / one package of fast-acting yeast
15 g / 2 tablespoons brown sugar
625 ml / 22 fluid ounces / 2 3/4 cups lukewarm water (use tepid sparkling water if possible)
125g / 1 cup powdered nonfat dry milk (US "Carnation", UK "Marvel")
5 g / 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 small packet vanilla sugar (Dr. Oetker or similar): about 2 teaspoons if you do your own vanilla sugar
200-250g / 1 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled to lukewarm
3 to 4 egg whites, beaten to the stiff-peak stage
For the waffle batter:
Put the flour in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour: add the yeast and 125 ml / about half a cup of the lukewarm water.
Add the brown sugar, powdered milk, the vanilla extract or vanilla sugar, and the remainder of the water. Mix the dough well: allow to rise for at least 20 minutes - 1/2 hour. During this period, melt the butter. Allow to cool to lukewarm.
Add the melted butter: mix well. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks,: fold carefully into the batter mixture until evenly mixed through.
Heat a large waffle iron. Spread each section with the batter, close and bake until done.
Serve dusted with comfectioners' / icing sugar, or topped with whipped cream and fruit, or with melted chocolate or Nutella.
Liège waffles
Liege waffles with strawberries and sour cream
The Liège waffle, named after that city, is also known as the Luikse wafel in Vlaamse and as Lütticher waffel in German. It's oblong, more or less oval-shaped, a thinner and smaller waffle than the Brussels waffle. But it's also more substantial, based more on a dough than a batter, and has a significant crunch due to the small nuggets of parelsuiker or "pearl sugar" that are added to the dough just before baking. These bits of sugar melt when being baked on the waffle iron and caramelize, producing a sugary crust like what's found on top of a creme brulée.
Pearl sugar / Perelzuiker
Please note that pearl sugar isn't that easy to find. Some stores that specialize in cakemaking and other confectionery carry it, and there are some online sources, such as the King Arthur Flour website, as well as this source and this one. To make the gaufre de Liège / Liège waffle, you need:
420 grams flour
7 grams salt (about a half teaspoon)
25 grams granulated sugar
2 eggs
50 grams yeast / one package fast-acting yeast
300 grams butter
Around 20 centiliters cold water (preferably sparkling water)
270 grams pearl sugar
Vanilla or other spicery to your taste
Allow eggs and sparkling water to come up to room temperature first.
Sift the flour into a bowl: make a well in the middle.
Melt the butter over hot water or in the microwave. Allow to cool to lukewarm. Beat the eggs well: add the butter and the yeast: mix well. Add the water and mix again.
Add to the flour along with the granulated sugar and vanilla or other seasoning (cinnamon works well).
Beat the dough for at least ten minutes. It will probably be sticky and difficult to work with. This is normal.
After this beating, allow to stand and rise in a warm place for 15-30 minutes. 5 to 10 minutes before baking, add the pearl sugar.
Heat the waffle iron. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto each quarter or section of the waffle iron. Bake until well browned.
Serve hot off the iron, dusted with confectioner's sugar, or top with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.
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bon appetit
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