This post is sponsored by brooklinen. If you’re ready to up your breakfast in bed, you can get 15% off your first order - no code needed upon checkout.
I had intended to share this recipe for overnight yeasted/sourdough waffles in the spring, but as summer approached, bowls of fruit replaced buttered baked goods for breakfast. Now, fall is nearly here, the evenings are beginning to cool off again, and I have just added my brooklinen waffle bed blanket to my stack of bedding. It is finally time to share this delicious stack of waffles.
The recipe is quite simple; it only requires about 5 minutes of prep the evening before, and then a few more steps the next morning before cooking. The results are little squares as fluffy and airy as pillows (see the photo below) with gooey and soft insides, and crispy/crunchy outsides. I recommend enjoying these immediately with salted butter and maple syrup: the sweet and salty toppings complement the slight tang of the waffles so beautifully. Bonus points if you can swing breakfast in bed.
If you are having breakfast in bed, here's a little checklist for the tray (so that once tucking in, there’s no reason to get out of bed): I place a doily or napkin below the plate so that it doesn’t slide around, and I’m sure to grab a napkin, utensils, a beverage of choice, some salted butter, and maple syrup. I prefer to keep my maple syrup in a side bowl for dipping, but if you prefer a pour-over, that works too.
Makes 6 little Belgian waffle squares*
(Aka 3 batches in a rectangular Belgian waffle iron–more if you have a thinner waffle iron, which I think works very well, if not better, for this recipe.)
*Enough for 2 people. Can be a full breakfast with other items (i.e., eggs and sausage or bacon, or fruit), a very light breakfast by itself, OR easily doubled to make more.
Ingredients:
15g white sugar
1g active dry yeast or 10g of sourdough starter
190g water
100g all-purpose flour
50g butter melted
50g Greek yogurt
Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste optional
½ tsp baking powder
⅛ tsp baking soda
1 egg separated into yolk and white
1/4 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
Non-stick cooking spray if needed for your waffle iron
For serving:
Maple syrup
Salted butter
Tools:
Waffle iron (this is the one I use for making these waffles, but have also used this one for thinner waffles and it’s also great)
Electric hand mixer
Please note that you can find more ingredient information and tips for conversions in my conversion document. If you have any questions, please refer to the document or feel free to leave a comment!
The night before:
1. In a medium-large mixing bowl, place 15g of sugar, 1g of yeast, 190g of water, and 100g of all-purpose flour. Mix to combine. Cover the bowl (I just use a plate), and let the batter sit overnight at room temperature.
The following morning:
If you want to serve all the waffles at once (vs fresh off the iron), preheat your oven now so the waffles can be kept warm on a wire rack until ready to serve. Do not stack the waffles to keep them warm, this will deflate the air and steam them.
2. Plug in your waffle iron. I like to set mine on medium. Allow it to preheat while you prepare the rest of the batter. Add to the batter your melted butter, Greek yogurt, vanilla extract/vanilla bean paste (if using), baking powder, baking soda, and your egg yolk (save the white!). Don’t mix the ingredients together yet. Set the bowl aside.
3. In another medium-sized bowl, place your egg white and ¼ tsp of salt. Beat with your electric hand mixer, starting on low speed and increasing to high over the course of a minute. Whip until the egg white has reached stiff peaks. Set this bowl aside.
4. Grab the bowl of batter ingredients and set the hand mixer to low. Mix until all the ingredients are just combined. Fold the egg whites into the batter with a soft spatula until combined. I like to pour the batter into a liquid measuring cup for easy pouring, though a ladle will also work.
5. Spray your waffle iron with non-stick spray if needed, and then pour the batter into the iron. If you have a double-wide Belgian waffle iron like I do, you will use 1/3rd of the batter on each pour. Cook until the waffle iron beeps that it’s done.***
6. Remove the waffle from the iron and serve hot with salted butter and maple syrup.
*** Now is a great time to make your beverage of choice and get everything ready so you can dig in! Remove the butter from the fridge, warm up your maple syrup, and grab some plates. Be sure to check out the italicized notes at the top for how to set up the perfect breakfast in bed tray.