Marion Cunningham's Yeast-Raised Waffles

I've posted about overnight waffles before, but I wasn't very impressed with them so I've been making Waffles of Insane Greatness instead whenever I want waffles.  Then I discovered this recipe and everything changed.  I still love the Waffles of Insane Greatness, especially if I want waffles now and not tomorrow, but the flavor you get from letting the yeasted batter sit overnight is so amazing and complex and worth the wait.  Unlike the overnight waffle recipe I tried previously, these waffles stay crispy, especially if you keep them in a warm oven while you make the rest of the batch.  They also freeze very well, which is good because the recipe makes quite a lot of waffles.  I just pop them in my toaster oven in the morning like an Eggo waffle.

The original version of the recipe has you letting the batter sit out overnight on the counter at room temperature.  If that freaks you out, you can always let it sit in the refrigerator overnight, but you will lose a little of the flavor.  The first time I made these, I read the recipe wrong and added the eggs with everything else so I let it rise in the fridge.  The second time I added the eggs after letting it sit out overnight, and both times were pretty great so just do what you feel comfortable with.  The recipe also scales up and down pretty well; I've made a half batch when I've only had 1 egg as well as a 6x batch for a ski trip!

Marion Cunningham's Yeast-Raised Waffles (from The Breakfast Book)
makes about 12 waffles, depending on the size of your waffle iron

1/2 cup warm water, about 100°F
1 packet (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 cups milk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a large bowl and let dissolve while you measure the rest of the ingredients.  Add the milk, melted butter, salt, sugar, and flour and whisk until combined.  Cover and let sit overnight on your counter or in the refrigerator.

In the morning, whisk in the eggs and baking soda.  Cook in a waffle iron and serve warm.  Waffles will freeze well; just reheat in a toaster or toaster oven.

Next:  Salted Egg Yolk Mochi Ice Cream
Previously:  Chocolate Babka
Two Years Ago:  Peanut Butter Noodles
Three Years Ago:  Banoffee Pie
Seven Years Ago:  Banana Bread Yeasted Waffles
Eight Years Ago:  Buckeyes

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Will It Puffle?

I was so excited when I received an electric bubble waffle maker from my brother and sister-in-law for my birthday last year.  I had visions of making the eggettes I used to get from NYC's Chinatown and SF's Genki and maybe even making a puffle cone a la Cauldron Ice Cream or Monkey King Tea (below).  But after trying the recipes I found on-line for eggettes and puffle cones (basically the same recipe) I'm still not satisfied with the results.  I even played around a little with the ingredients but nothing I made recreated the aroma, texture, or taste I was looking for.

Not to be deterred, I decided to experiment with some other batter-based foods I had made before.  First up was pão de queijo (Brazilian cheese bread).  Since some of the eggette recipes used a little tapioca flour, I figured it would be fun to try an entirely tapioca flour based batter in the bubble waffle maker.  The results were incredible!

The bubble waffle maker was able to encapsulate the chewy, airy bread in a crispy crust in a fraction of the time it takes to bake the pão in the oven.  And it's sooooo cute!

I also tried Korean pajeon (above) and Japanese okonomiyaki (below), and the results were decent, but not really worth writing about.

Probably my favorite use of the bubble waffle maker has to be the Taiwanese oyster omelette.  Since I remember the sweet potato starch batter to be super sticky, I added a half tablespoon of oil to the batter itself and made sure to oil the waffle iron well before adding the batter.  And even though I took those precautions, I was still surprised when the omelette came out rather easily from the iron.  

As with the pão de queijo, I loved how the outside of the batter got super crispy but still stayed moist inside.  And the shape of the bubble waffle maker gave it a lot more nooks and crannies for an even higher crispy to chewy ratio!

So does anyone else have a good eggette recipe or recommendation for what to try next in the bubble waffle maker?

Next:  Sesame Soba Noodles with Avocado Rose
Previously:   The 4-Hour Baguette
Last Year:  Gordan Ramsay's Sublime Scrambled Eggs - 2 Ways
Two Years Ago:  Nutella Mini Crepe Cakes
Six Years Ago:  The Best Scones in the World
Seven Years Ago:  Samoa Cupcakes and the Cupcake Exchange

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