How to make the perfect Belgian waffles you wanted to know

Reviews, these are a delightfully crisp, rich and fluffy way to start the weekend, but should you rise with yeast or bicarbonate of soda? And which produces a crunchier result?

What did Brussels ever do for us? Well, waffles are a good start. Not that, strictly speaking, they’re Belgian at all. In fact, they’re a bit of a pan-European project, with their origins in the ancient Greek obleios, and a Dutch name with its roots in the old French for honeycomb, thanks to their distinctive dimpled surface.

Rich with butter and eggs, waffles are festive food, once sold in church doorways to catch the congregation on its merry way home, and now common fare at fairs, fetes and other places where it’s still acceptable to eat squirty cream in public. But try them hot and crisp from the griddle and you’ll never queue for a tepid flannel again; waffles may not be the kind of thing you knock up at 7am before work, but they’re a surprisingly, perhaps dangerously simple weekend treat.

Served up for breakfast topped with banana, at lunchtime with a fried egg, or for pudding with ice cream and chocolate sauce, there are very few occasions that aren’t improved by a waffle – they are awfully versatile.

Raising agent

Before the advent of chemical raising agents in the 19th century, waffles would always have been raised with yeast, as in Ruth Van Waerebeek’s family recipe, which “has kept us happy for as long as anyone can remember”; or Molly Katzen’s version in The Essential New York Times Cookook. Baking powder is more common in modern iterations, however, both on its own or in combination with bicarbonate of soda, presumably because it springs into action immediately, allowing for spur-of-the-moment indulgence.

There’s no doubt that both do the job on the rising front, but the yeast-raised waffles have a more interesting flavour, and a fluffier, almost crumpet-like texture – plus, as Van Waerebeek writes in her book, A Taste of Belgium, they are both “lighter and crustier … than the baking powder waffles one usually finds elsewhere”. Using yeast might sound like a hassle but, in fact, Van Waerebeek only leaves her batter to rise for an hour – although the longer you leave it, the better it will taste; Katzen’s overnight versions are good enough to eat on their own and can be knocked up in minutes before going to bed, even after a few drinks. And, believe me, there’s little to touch the smugness of waking up to a bowl of bubbling waffle batter in need of a home.

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Liquid

Buttermilk waffles – served at Daniel Doherty’s Duck and Waffle as part of the restaurant’s signature dish, and also rated by my perfectionist pals across the pond at America’s Test Kitchen – are the breakfast equivalent of chargrilled steak or goose-fat roast potatoes: a culinary gilded lily that is impossible to resist. America’s Test Kitchen reckon the buttermilk is “absolutely crucial” because, when teamed up with baking soda, it creates a much thicker batter, and a thick batter means that the “outside can become crisp while the inside remains custardy”. I’m not using bicarbonate of soda, but this is the texture I’m seeking, and I’m curious to see whether the buttermilk can improve Katzen’s pretty unimpeachable recipe. And, it does. They’re even crunchier, with a subtle, but definite tang that reminds me of crumpets. (For the avoidance of doubt, this is a very good thing.)

The acidity that makes buttermilk such an excellent catalyst for bicarb, however, is the very thing that makes it less than ideal when using yeast, which is prima-donna-ishly sensitive to the pH of its environment. As I find active dry yeast the easiest to work with on a day-to-day basis (fresh yeast being tricky to get hold of, and instant yeast coming in fiddly, pricy little packets), and given that it’s safest to activate this in warm liquid before use, I’m going to deploy a combination of milk and buttermilk instead. (If you’d like a richer, more indulgent result, I’d highly recommend Signe Johansen’s sour cream version in her book Scandilicious: “a hybrid of my mother’s and the winning recipe of the Norwegian national waffle competition in 2008” – soft and fluffy inside, they’re gorgeous with nothing more than a sprinkling of berries.)

The flour

All the recipes I try use plain flour, and America’s Test Kitchen adds a little cornmeal, too, for “extra crackle”. Though not strictly necessary, I would recommend it if you happen to have some to hand, because it makes an already crisp waffle positively crunchy.

They also caution against the usual practice of adding the wet ingredients to the dry in one go, explaining that this “necessitates overmixing and usually results in clumps of unmoistened flour”. The goal is not to eliminate all the lumps, but simply to combine all the ingredients: too much stirring will start to develop the gluten in the flour, and will make for tough results.

Fat

Most people add melted butter to their batter, although Van Waerebeek goes for a retro mixture of butter and margarine, which confirms my prejudice against that much-maligned fat.

Many recipes that use baking powder also separate the eggs, whipping up the whites to add extra air to the batter and give the waffles a fluffier texture – but I don’t find this makes much difference to the finished result, principally, perhaps, because the pressing action of the waffle iron must surely expel most of this air. (It’s also a bit of a faff, if I’m honest.)

Flavouring

Like pancakes, waffles can be flavoured with just about anything, but a little sugar helps to crisp them up (I like the flavour of the light brown sort, but any kind will do), and salt helps to bring out their flavour. Johansen and Van Waerebeek both add vanilla, which is pleasing if you’re planning to use them in a sweet context, but I’ve also added nutmeg, smoked paprika, and a combination of fennel seeds and lemon zest with happy results, so feel free to play about as suits your fancy.

Cooking

If you have an electric waffle maker, this will do the hard work for you. If, like me, you have a stove-top version, heed America’s Test Kitchen advice: “A good waffle must cook quickly.” Placing it on too low a heat will mean the centre will overcook before the outside has had time to crisp and brown, so make sure you thoroughly heat your waffle iron before beginning to cook, and turn it regularly.
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Perfect Belgian waffles

(Makes 10)

180ml milk

1 tbsp active dried yeast

1 tbsp soft light brown sugar, or more to taste

245g flour

1 tbsp cornmeal or polenta (or another tbsp of flour)

1/2 tsp salt

240ml buttermilk

6 tbsp melted butter

1 large egg, beaten

Oil, to grease

Warm the milk in a small pan (you can use the same one you melted the butter in). Stir in the yeast and a pinch of the sugar, then leave until the surface is covered with tiny bubbles. Meanwhile, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients in a large bowl, and beat together the buttermilk, melted butter and egg in a jug.

When ready, whisk the yeasty milk into the jug, then slowly pour this into the dry ingredients, mixing gently with a spoon or spatula to incorporate as you go. Cover loosely and allow to sit at room temperature for between an hour and overnight.

Turn the oven to low to keep the waffles warm (unless you have a ready audience to eat them fresh from the grill). Lightly grease then heat your waffle iron. (Electronic ones will do the work for you from then on.) Pour in just enough batter to cover the base, spreading it out with a metal spatula, then turn down the heat slightly and close the lid. Cook for about 45 seconds until golden on the underside, then flip and repeat for about 4 minutes until golden and crisp on the other side.
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