Belgian liege waffles are made with a raised yeast dough, and filled with pieces of Belgian pearl sugar.
Regular waffles are good. However, my husband makes them too often, so I’m in this perpetual “sick of them” stage. Same with pancakes. Seriously, it’s Saturday morning and my husband says, “I think I’m going to make pancakes”, and I say, “Please noooo moooooore pancaaaaakes I’m so tired of themmmmm”. I’m so ungrateful, right?
Pancakes and waffles are so easy to whip up, so it’s his go-to special weekend breakfast. But we have a special special waffle that we make on very special occasions. It’s way better than a normal waffle. So much so, that you can’t really even compare the two.
Liege. waffles. Made with a yeast dough, filled with Belgian pearl sugar that caramelizes and crisps up as you waffle iron it. Not to mention the butter that goes into it… yum. It’s seriously our favorite sweet breakfast, and that’s why we had it as our very first meal of 2017. Start the year off right!
These waffles aren’t the kind you can just whip together and have on the table in twenty minutes. These take a little love and patience. But good things are worth the wait. You gotta sit there for thirty minutes, letting the yeast rise. Otherwise, though, it’s quite straightforward to make.
I’m gonna be honest, this recipe is adapted from the back of the box of Belgian pearl sugar. I won’t take any credit for creativity here… I just want to spread the love of liege waffles. Anyways, I increased the yeast a tad, by preference, and halved the recipe. If you make a full recipe you WILL eat it all and that’s very very dangerous. I think half a batch is a perfect amount for 3-4 people to share.
Also, PLEASE please please don’t try and make this without Belgian pearl sugar. It just can’t be made without it. It really can’t. It’s what makes the whole thing work. You can buy it on Amazon here: Lars’ Own Belgian Pearl Sugar 8 Ounces (Pack of 2)
Feel free to top these with things like nutella, whipped cream, maple syrup, chocolate sauce, fruit compote, whateeeever you want! But can I be honest? My favorite way to eat them is plain, MAYBE with a little whipped cream.
Belgian Liege Waffles
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 t instant dry yeast
- 6 T lukewarm milk
- 1 stick unsalted butter softened
- 1 egg
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/2 t vanilla
- 4 oz Belgian pearl sugar or less, to taste
Instructions
- Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk in a small container and let sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, place the flour in large bowl, add the softened butter, and combine using your hand. Add egg, salt, vanilla, and mix together. Add in the yeast and milk and mix to fully combine. The dough will be quite sticky and messy.
- Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise (about 30 minutes). Add the Belgian sugar and knead in until evenly distributed. Divide into approximately 3 ounce balls (to make about 7 total), and bake in a heated waffle iron (I did level 5 out of 6 on mine, but your temp will vary according to the make/model of the waffle iron).
Notes
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You’re right! Liege waffles are the absolute best. I love it with nutella and fruit <3
Have you ever tried it with cookie butter? That’s yummy too! ??