I grew up on these waffles. On Saturday mornings, Dad was the one running the kitchen! He found the recipe in the 1971 Fannie Farmer Cookbook and no other waffle recipe we've tried even comes close. If you really love dense, sugary Belgian waffles then maybe this isn't the best match for you, but I encourage you to give yeast waffles a whirl. They are so melt-in-your-mouth delicious you'll want to eat them right out of the waffle maker...without sitting down with a plate...and gasp! Even without syrup! Maybe one of my favorite parts about Saturday waffles with Dad was the fact that he would tear apart the first waffle and share it with me and my brother, saying, "You have to eat the first one while the others are cooking." Now it's hard for me not to celebrate this tradition at my own house!
Whenever we get around to making fried chicken, waffles usually end up on our weekend menu soon after because Peter loves to top his waffles with slices of fried chicken.
The trickiest thing about this recipe is that you need to begin the night before. You also need a package of fresh yeast, and a thermometer so that your water and milk are the correct temperature. If you mess around too much with the temperature of the liquids, the yeast won't be able to work its magic.
Yeast Waffles
adapted from 1971 Fannie Farmer Cookbook
In a large mixing bowl, put 1/2 c. lukewarm water (105-115 F) and 1 package of yeast (2 1/4 tsp.). Let this mixture stand five minutes.
Add 2 c. lukewarm milk (105-115 F), 1/2 c. melted butter or canola oil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1 tsp. sugar. Beat this together on low speed of your mixer or you can use a whisk. Gradually beat in 2 c. all-purpose flour.
Cover the bowl and let it stand overnight or at least 8 hours- not in the refrigerator. While I'm mixing the ingredients together, I usually turn the oven on the lowest temperature setting for a couple minutes and let it get slightly warmer than room temperature. Then I put the covered batter bowl in the oven to rest and rise overnight. It should nearly double in size if you've done everything correctly!
When you are ready to cook the waffles, add 2 large eggs and 1/4 tsp. baking soda. Beat well. The batter will be thin and not lumpy. Cook the waffles in an oiled waffle iron according to your iron's directions. They usually need to cook at my highest heat setting and I wait about 30 seconds after the steam has stopped coming out around the edges. This recipe should make 8-10 large waffles.
Thanks for this, Rachel. Somewhere I used to have a recipe for yeast-raised pancake batter. A good bit of work for pancakes -- starting the night before and all -- but I recall it was a success. I made it once. It may have come from a Betty Crocker cookbook that Grandma Hyde gave my mother for a wedding gift.
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