Christmas Morning Gingerbread Brussels Waffles

Merry Christmas!

It’s Christmas!  And Christmas morning is the time for a decadent breakfast – aka these Gingerbread Brussels Waffles.  There is actually no such thing as a “Belgian” waffle; however, there are several types of waffles from Belgium.  For starters, there is the “Liege” sugar waffle that has crunchy bits of pearled sugar baked into it and is typically served hot and gooey.  Then there’s the “vanilla” waffle, which has a drier, more cake-y consistency like the ones sold pre-packaged in grocery stores.  There is the “Stroopwafel” that you can find near Belgium-Netherlands border, which is traditionally filled with a silky, buttery caramel.  And finally there is the “Brussels” waffle that includes one essential, game-changing ingredient: yeast!

 Airy, fluffy, and light on the inside, Brussels waffles are browned to a buttery crisp on the outside with adequate sweetness and crunch to please every palette.  These waffles rose to fame due to the yeast special guest appearance.  I couldn’t agree more that pastries made with yeast are ten times more delicious than their yeast-free counterparts.  I mean, let’s be real, donuts with or without yeast?  Pretty much no contest in my book.

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The first key to these waffles is to activate the yeast using 105?-115? F milk or water.  I am not exaggerating when I say the yeast is essential to making the waffles airy.  The second essential step is to not overbeat the batter once you combine the egg whites and remaining waffle mixture.  This ensures that the waffles do not become overly tough and rubbery.  Overall, yeast + egg whites = fluffy waffles.

I hope you have the merriest Christmas and happy holidays!  It’s also totally ok if you make these waffles all year round.  Gingerbread goes a long way!

Christmas Morning Gingerbread Brussels Waffles

Waffles

  • 1 package (or 1 tbsp) of active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup of warm milk ((between 105? F and 115? F))
  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup of white, granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp of ground ginger
  • 1 tsp of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp of ground cloves
  • 1/4 tsp of salt
  • 8 tbsp (1 stick) of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1-1/4 cups of warm milk
  • 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs, separated

Sugared Cranberries

  • 1/2 cup of white, granulated sugar
  • 1 cup of fresh cranberries
  1. In a small bowl, add warm milk and sprinkle yeast. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks. Whisk in butter, milk, and vanilla extract, and beat until well combined. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture, and mix, but do not overmix. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until they develop stiff peaks. Beat in yeast mixture. Add egg whites and yeast mixture to flour and milk mixture. Beat batter until just combined, but do not overmix. Allow batter to rest for 45 minutes until it has increased in volume.
  4. To make the sugared cranberries, in a plastic bag, add all cranberry ingredients, and shake well until cranberries are completely coated. Set aside.
  5. Preheat waffle iron. Scoop about 4 tbsp of batter (per waffle) into waffle iron. Cook for 3 minutes until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup, sugared cranberries, and enjoy!

 

 

 

 

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