These Belgian Waffles have a crispy crust with a soft, fluffy interior. The batter is made the night before, so no work for you to do in the morning!
Going out to a restaurant for a weekend brunch is one of those things I hate. The good restaurants are often so busy that you wait in line forever.
Then the food is often overpriced. Think about it - breakfast food is usually pretty cheap and easy to make. So why not have your friends over for brunch at your house?
Before we moved away from all our friends and family, and we still had a little bit of a social life, having people over for brunch was a common occurrence. The only thing I hated was having to get up early to start cooking.
That's where these Overnight Yeast Raised Belgian waffles can save the day. You make the batter the day before you cook them, so when you wake up, you barely need to do any work.
Have you ever had waffles that were leavened with yeast instead of baking powder? If not, you need to. Now. Seriously, make this batter right now so you can eat them tomorrow.
The second I tried yeasted waffles, I never made regular ones again. They have a subtle yeasty flavor, with a crispy crust and light, fluffy center.
Like a traditional Belgian Liege waffle, these ones also have bits of caramelized pearl sugar baked into the crust, so they don't even need syrup (but real maple syrup makes pretty much everything better, so why not?)
How do you make Overnight Belgian Waffles?
These waffles are just as easy to make as regular North American style waffles. The only difference is that the batter sits for longer.
All you do is heat the milk and butter until the butter is melted. This can be done in the microwave or on the stove. Stir together the dry ingredients, then stir the milk/butter in. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together and mix them into the batter.
That's it. Your part is done. Now just let the batter hang out in the fridge overnight. When it's done, it will look kinda bubbly and spongy. Give it a stir and it's ready to go into the waffle iron.
While your waffle iron is heating, get your pearl sugar out. Okay, you probably don't have any on hand unless you regularly make these waffles.
The first time I bought it, I had a hard time finding it.
I ended up finding it in a European import store, with not a line of English on the box. I guessed it was pearl sugar from the picture on the box, and I was right. Since then, I've seen it around. Even my regular grocery store has it. If all else fails, buy it online or coarsely crush up some sugar cubes.
You'll want to make sure you don't add too much batter to your waffle iron, or it will overflow and make a huge mess.
Also make sure you don't put too little, because it won't be enough to make the waffle rise enough and make the crunchy ridges. Serve the waffles immediately while hot, or cool them on a wire rack to freeze.
If you do freeze them, put them in an airtight bag or container, and warm them up in the toaster. Because of the pearl sugar, they don't even need syrup, but a little maple syrup makes them extra yummy! They're also great served with fresh fruit.
Want more Waffle recipes?
Overnight Yeast Raised Belgian Waffles Nutrition Notes:
Keep in mind that waffle makers make all sorts of sizes and shapes of waffles. The above nutrition info assumes that the recipe makes about 12 waffles, which is the size of my waffle maker (it seems to be a fairly average size).
The nutrition info does not include any extra toppings you might add, like syrup or butter.
Overnight Yeast Raised Belgian Waffles
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup low fat or skim milk
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 8 pieces
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons instant or quick-rise yeast
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Pearl sugar (optional - see note)
Instructions
- Warm 1 ¾ cup low fat or skim milk and 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter together in the microwave or a small saucepan over medium heat until butter is melted. Allow to cool until just warm.
- Whisk together 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 Tablespoons sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons instant or quick-rise yeast, and ½ teaspoons salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the milk and butter mixture slowly.
- Stir together 2 large eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla, then stir this mixture into the batter.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and let rise in the fridge for 12-24 hours.
- When ready to cook, heat waffle iron. Spray lightly with canola oil if desired. Sprinkle pearl sugar evenly into the waffle iron, if using. Spoon in batter with a ladle, being careful not to over- or under-fill. Sprinkle more pearl sugar on top of the batter.
- Cook waffle until steam diminishes and waffles are golden brown and crisp. Serve immediately or allow to cool on a wire rack to freeze. Freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag and reheat in the toaster.
Notes
Nutrition
Meg says
Just discovered your website, and I'm so glad I did! I tried the Overnight Yeast Raised Belgian Waffles. They were very good- very light; crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. You can smell and taste the yeast, which I didn't mind at all but might be off-putting to some. And I really like that these are made with half whole wheat flour. But....12 servings? Really? I made half the recipe and came out with four 6" waffles - just right for the two of us. You don't say how many waffles are in a "serving" but I can't imagine the full recipe would make 12 servings. I'm going to try your Lemon Cloud Squares recipe next! Thank you for your website and your great recipes!
Carissa says
When I use this recipe (often - these are my son's and my favorite), it does make 12 waffles. But my waffles are much smaller than 6", they are the smallish rectangular ones that are pictured. It's hard to predict how many waffles the recipe will make on various waffle makers because they are all different. In any case, I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe - it really is one of my favorites 🙂