Belgium Waffles

Recipe by Cook's Hideout

This month we are visiting Belgium for Food of the World event. Belgium is best known for its chocolate (one of the world's best), waffles and beer. I wanted to make a vegetarian dish from Belgium, but didn't find time to do my research. So I ended up making Belgian waffles for breakfast this past weekend. But contrary to what I thought, waffles in Belgium are not really breakfast food, they are more popular as casual snack food -- usually bought from a bakery or a street stand. The waffles that North Americans think of as Belgian waffle is actually...

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup Whole-wheat pastry flour
• (1.25l) fish stock
• 2 tbsp Egg water (replacer - whisked in 6tbsp (ground flaxseed can also be used))
• 1 tsps yeast
• 1 cups soy milk (- luke warm (any non-dairy milk will work here))
• 6 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 ~ 3 tbsps Maple syrup (- (optional))
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, stir to combine. Few lumps in the batter is OK, do not overmix. Cover with a plastic wrap or plate and set aside to rise for 1 hour.
2. At this point, you can make waffles or the batter can be refrigerated overnight to develop some real depth of flavor, yeasty and rich. I've done it both ways and loved the waffles both the times.
3. Preheat the waffle iron and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Pour about ⅔~¾ cup of batter on the iron, close the lid and bake for recommended amount of time, or until the waffle is golden brown. It took me about 3~3½ minutes for each waffle.
4. Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200°F oven. Serve with maple syrup, fruits and/ or whipped cream, if desired.

View the recipe instructions at Cook's Hideout