Amazing Overnight Waffles

These are the absolute best. The only thing I do to this recipe is add a tsp. of vanilla extract. They’re absolutely perfect: crispy on the outside and slightly custardy on the inside.

Another amazing thing about them is that they freeze perfectly! Since I use a round Belgian Waffler, I wrap half circles in foil, and then put them in a Ziploc bag. I remove them from the foil, microwave for a bit to thaw, then I pop them in the toaster to crisp.

It is imperative that you use good butter for these. I can’t stress that enough. If the butter has absorbed smells from your fridge, you can end up with waffles that taste faintly of leftovers. And for goodness sake, don’t use lowfat. If you want lowfat, don’t eat these waffles!

The following is directly from the book... It really requires no additional explanation. Just make them! They're super easy and super delicious!

Amazing Overnight Waffles

From the book The 150 Best American Recipes by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens

Yield 6 to 8 waffles (3-4 Belgian)

There’s nothing like a batch of waffles (these come from Mollie Katzen’s book Mollie Katzen’s Sunlight Café) to brighten a morning, especially if they’re homemade. Mix the batter the night before, and all you have to do in the morning is beat an egg, melt some butter, and stir. At the very most, there’s 15 minutes of work here. Yeast gives the waffles a special subtle quality, and the overnight rise adds a mellow tang and a pleasingly chewy texture that sets them apart from the usual baking-powder-and-baking-soda kind.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. active dry yeast (about 1/2 packet)
½ tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
6 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the milk until blended. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand overnight at room temperature. (If it’s warmer than 70 degrees, refrigerate the batter.)
The next morning, heat the waffle iron. Beat the egg and melted butter into the batter, which will be quite thin.

Spray the hot waffle iron with nonstick cooking spray and rub on a little butter with a paper towel or a piece of bread. Add just enough batter to cover the cooking surface, about 1 1/3 cups for a Belgian waffle, 2/3 cup for a standard waffle.
Cook the waffles until crisp and browned but not too dark, 2 to 3 minutes each. Serve hot.

A great way to keep waffles warm until you’re ready to serve them is to heat the oven to 200 degrees and place the cooked waffles directly on the oven rack without stacking. This keeps the waffles warm and crisp, whereas stacking makes them soggy.

This content is from the book The 150 Best American Recipes by Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens.
Copyright © 2006 Houghton Mifflin