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Saturday, February 6, 2010

Overnight Yeast Waffles


It's been awhile since we've had breakfast for dinner and my sister Julia eagerly accepted my offer to make waffles last week. Ryan voted for pumpkin waffles, using our Trader Joe's pumpkin waffle and pancake mix. Julia voted for "plain" waffles. Because I'm trying to make our Trader Joe's mix last until next fall, when its available again, I opted for the plain. Of course, plain couldn't just be plain...at least not for the blog! I've posted a waffle recipe on here before, and while that's one of my favorites, I spent some time google researching and found many overnight waffle recipes. I was intrigued by this concept of a. adding yeast to waffle batter and b. making it up to 24 hours ahead of time, so I decided to give it a go.

Last Monday after work, I whipped up the waffle batter (with a minor setback that included me rushing the store for milk!) and, though slightly confused by how thin and runny the batter was, I plopped it in the fridge to rest overnight. Come Tuesday evening, I removed the bowl from the fridge, added the beaten egg whites, and inhaled the yeasty batter, curious whether these waffles would live up to their hype.

The conclusion? For one, the batter was WAY too runny. Ryan was my sous chef and he had to add a ton of flour to the batter before it was thick enough to scoop onto the waffle iron. Secondly, these waffles did not get crispy. I don't know if it was our iron or the recipe, but while these were light and flaky, they didn't have that "crunch" many waffles possess. Even so, we found these to be delicious. The flavor was almost custardy, and I enjoyed them topped with strawberry jelly. I'm tempted to try another overnight waffle recipe because I'm just so baffled by how thin the batter was....I thought I followed the recipe to a T...?!

Overnight Waffles
from Taste of Home recipes

Ingredients:
-1 package active dry yeast
-1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
-1 tsp sugar
-2 cups warm fat-free milk (110 to 115 degrees)
-2 eggs, separated
-2 tbsp butter, melted
-1 tbsp canola oil
-1 3/4 cups all-pupose flour (I used 1 1/4 cups all-purpose, 1/2 cup whole wheat)
-1 tsp salt

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Add egg yolks, butter, and oil (refrigerate egg whites). Combine flour and salt; stir into milk mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. The following day, allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Stir batter; fold in egg whites.
4. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter into preheated waffle iron; bake until golden brown.