Crispy raised waffles, with a drizzle of warm maple butter and a few fresh berries, are all you need for weekend breakfast perfection!Waffle batter adapted, mostly in language, from Jeni Britton Bauer (Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts, 2014)
½cupunsalted butter(1 stick), cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
Instructions
Waffles
Place milk and butter in a small saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until butter is melted. Remove from heat and let cool to 105-110 degrees F (slightly warm). Insufficient cooling will kill the yeast in the waffle batter.
In a large bowl*, whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Add the warm milk/butter mixture and whisk until smooth.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla. Whisk into the waffle batter until combined. Using a rubber spatula, scrape sides and bottom of bowl, gently folding batter until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
Heat and prep waffle iron according to your manufacturer's instructions. Remove risen batter from refrigerator and give it a quick stir with a whisk, fork, or rubber spatula. The batter will deflate. Pour the appropriate amount of batter for your waffle iron onto the center of the plates. Bake until heavy steam subsides and the waffle is just lightly golden, about 4 minutes.** Transfer to a wire rack.
Serve waffles immediately, or hold on a wire rack-rimmed baking sheet in a 250-degree oven for up to 10 minutes while additional waffles bake.***
Warm Maple Butter
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the maple syrup and salt until bubbles just begin to form around the edges of the pan. Remove from heat and whisk in butter until melted and smooth. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Notes
*Use a larger bowl than you think you need, as the batter will rise significantly overnight. The bowl photographed here is a 6-quart.**The amount of batter used for each waffle will depend on your specific iron. My 6-½" round takes a scant ½ cup.***If you decide to go back for seconds long after the waffles have been baked, I've found that a quick trip to the toaster oven (just 1-2 minutes on "light") brings them right back to their fresh-from-the-iron texture. Like all waffle recipes, even these will get soggy when allowed to sit at room temperature for prolonged periods of time. It's the nature of the beast!I find that these waffles are best prepared in a classic American-style waffle maker, as opposed to Belgian. The thinner waffles better achieve the crisp-chewy ratio that this recipe strikes so well. My Warm Maple Butter can be made up to a week in advance of serving, refrigerated, and gently rewarmed on the stove, stirring frequently.