Thursday 09 / May / 2024
As as a child, I remember how often I would sit next to my mother waiting to eat some delicious home-made waffles that she would make in an old waffle maker. Each time the buttery whiff of the waffles from the maker permeated in the air we could not resist to lay our hands on the well-made waffles that were crisp on the outside, and soft and buttery on the inside and drizzled with maple syrup. While I had the notion that these yellow treats came from an African cuisine, with origins from East Africa, my mother learnt how to make these baked sweets while she was studying in Paris back in the 80s. Over the years my love for waffles of different kinds grew in leaps and bounds, be it the ones made at home which were small in size, dense in texture, and just beautiful to look at to those served in cafes that were bigger and crunchier too. Intrigued to know the history of waffles I began my internet research only to find out that these treats did not come from Africa or Paris as I had thought, but instead from Belgium, a country known as the culinary travel destination of Europe.
We’ve all heard about Belgian sweets, Belgian chocolates, Belgian cakes, and, of course, Belgian waffles, but waffles are by far their most popular delicacy, and it comes in two styles – Liege and Brussels. Let’s explore the differences of each waffle, right from their appearance, to their texture and taste.
Style 1: Brussels
Brussels waffles are made with a thin, yeast-leavened batter, which gives them a lighter appearance similar to a sponge, and it has even rectangular shape with deeper holes and smoother edges. This type of waffle is usually served with sugar dust, or topped with fruits, creams, chocolate, or even nuts. It is the most popular around the world, and that applies to Oman as well, as they can be found in most cafe menus, such as Dipndip and The Chocolate Room.
Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast, 1 tablespoon
1/2 cup warm milk
2 cups flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, separated
8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups warm milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
Sprinkle yeast over the 1/2 cup warm milk in a small bowl; set aside about 5 minutes to soften.
In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar and salt.
Lightly beat the egg yolks with a fork.
In a small bowl mix melted butter, 1 1/4 cup warm milk, vanilla, egg yolks.
Add the butter, milk, vanilla, egg yolks to flour mixture. Mix until smooth.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form.
Stir in the yeasted milk.
Fold egg whites gently into batter.
Leave it out on the counter until doubled in volume, then bake.
The flavour is better if refrigerated overnight. ( Courtesy food.com)
Style 2: Liege
These waffles were named after a town in Eastern Belgium, and are made with batter similar to a dough of bread; it’s sticky and thick in texture, and the dough contains chucks of sugar, and that results in a caramelized, crispy, golden coating, then it’s spread on a waffle maker, creating uneven edges, and denser, sweeter taste.
My mother’s waffle recipe was obviously inspired by Liege, as both share the same appearance, but the texture differs, as real Belgian Leige is dense but crispy, and my mother’s baking comes out dense but soft. And, I’m still on the hunt for a place to savour this type of waffle, but perhaps you could try it at home:
Ingredients
1/2 cup whole milk, lukewarm
1/3 cup water, lukewarm
3 teaspoons instant yeast
2 large eggs, at room temperature and beaten
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
3 2/3 cups bread flour
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (8 ounces) pearl sugar (or sugar cubes, broken into pieces)
Preparation
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine milk, water, yeast, eggs, honey, vanilla, sugar, and salt. Mix until well combined.
On low speed, add in all but 1 cup of flour and mix until combined. On low speed, add the butter, one cube at a time, thoroughly kneading in each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed before adding in any more butter. Once all the butter has been incorporated, add the remaining flour and knead on low speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Remove the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 2 hours. Punch the dough down, cover again with plastic, and place in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours. When ready to cook, heat up a Belgian waffle iron. Remove the dough from the fridge and knead in all of the pearl sugar. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
Place first ball of waffle dough on grid and cook according to waffle maker’s instructions. Cook until deeply golden all over, about 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully transfer with tongs or a fork to baking sheet.
Keep waffles warm in a 100 degree C oven if you plan to eat them right away. These waffles must be served warm or the pearl sugar will harden. (Courtesy handletheheat.com)
