Crispy, fluffy and water mouthing. The real Belgian waffles are not an illusion, they look and taste great at the same time, not breaking the promise of its delightful smell. If you ever went to Belgium, you know that in each corner you will find this speciality in many shapes and flavours. If you dream about visiting the chocolate country, but still didn’t have the opportunity to do it, don’t wait any longer! The secrets of the pastry are no longer hidden, and this article wants to help you to have the taste beyond borders.

Rich in proteins, with eggs and butter, waffles come to the world as a portion of festive food. They started being sold in church doorways to catch the congregation on its way home. Nowadays, you find waffles everywhere. However, they are mainly common to appear in fairs, festivities and food trucks. Served up for breakfast with fruits, for lunch with an egg or as a dessert with ice cream and chocolate sauce, the Belgian waffles are a dangerously simple treat for any time of the day. Belgian waffles differ from all the others, first because they are lighter and airy inside, originally due to them being baked with yeast, in the 19th century. Secondly, because Belgians don’t mix pancakes and waffles dough. Each recipe is different, and that makes all the difference. Third, because there is more than one Belgian waffle: the Liege and the Brussels one.

Less talking and more cooking. The following recipe will help you how to bake the Brussels waffle easily. Having a Belgian waffle iron can help a lot to accomplish the dream pastry. There are plenty of websites that sell it online. Otherwise, you can always choose the one that is possible to you. This following recipe has 319 kcal and will result in eight servings.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of milk
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 2 large eggs (you will need to separate the yolk from the whites)
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon of salt
  • 3 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of baking powder
  • 2 cups of flour
  • ½ cup of vegetable oil


Instructions

  1. First, preheat your waffle iron, spray with non-stick cooking spray
  2. Use a large bowl to mix the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and baking powder
  3. Beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until it’s the stiff peak
  4. Mix the egg yolk with the vegetable oil, milk and vanilla extract
  5. Add the egg yolk to the dry ingredients
  6. Fold in the egg whites
  7. Pour the mixture on your waffle iron, approximately ¾ of a cup
  8. Serve with fruits, honey, toppings or simple
If you want to try the Liege Belgian waffle, here is the recipe for ten servings.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup of milk
  • 1/3 cup of water
  • 3 teaspoons of instant yeast
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons of honey
  • 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon of fine salt
  • 3 2/3 cups of bread flour
  • 2 sticks of unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup of pearl sugar


Instructions

  1. In an electric mixer combine the milk, water, yeast, eggs, honey, vanilla, sugar, and salt until it is well joint.
  2. Add 1 cup of flour and mix. Add the butter. Once all the butter has been combined, add the remaining flour and work on low speed until the dough is elastic.
  3. Remove the dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover firmly with plastic wrap. Punch the dough down, cover again with plastic, and place in the fridge overnight or up to 24 hours.
  4. When ready to cook, heat up a Belgian waffle iron or the one you have available. Remove the dough from the fridge and massage in all the pearl sugar. Divide the dough into 10 pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
  5. Place the first ball of waffle dough on the grid and cook according to waffle maker’s instructions. Cook until deeply golden all over, about 4 to 5 minutes.
  6. Keep waffles warm in an oven. These waffles must be served warm or the pearl sugar will harden.

 Do you think it’s too hard to follow all these steps? If you don’t feel comfortable by following the written instructions, hold your horses and remember you live in the 21st century. Video platforms, like YouTube, have many demonstrations on how to achieve the perfect Belgian waffle. You can follow tip by tip while you learn how to master the art of one of many Belgium specialities. And as the Belgians say, in Flemish dialect: Smakelijk, or enjoy your meal!