The irresistible charm and addictive lure of Belgian waffles

Parent — if you are reading this article, you need to know that this will have its consequences. First, you will see the recipe. Then, you will bring it to life. Next, you will serve it to your children. And before you realize it, you will have already made the eighth batch of Belgian waffles. Are you ready for such a risk?

When I bought the waffle maker, I knew it would have serious consequences. However, it quickly turned out that it wasn't so bad. The kids ate the waffles with enjoyment but without much enthusiasm. They didn't ask for seconds and forgot about the appliance's existence. The second attempt happened when I discovered the recipe for Belgian waffles. The reaction? The very next day, I got a request for a repeat. And the next day, too. And again. I told you — there's no joking with this recipe!

What are Belgian waffles? Their other name is Brussels waffles (quite logical, proper?) or Liege waffles, referring to the city in eastern Belgium where they supposedly originated. Enough about semantics; let's talk about taste. The reviews of these sweets are pretty unanimous, and the adjectives used to describe them are consistent: delicious, addictive, fluffy. This is thanks, among other things, to yeast and a relatively large amount of melted butter.

Preparing Belgian waffles is not difficult, and you can handle it without the slightest problem. What should you remember? Well, I have no idea; perhaps only about responsibility and the knowledge that man does not live by waffles alone.

Ingredients:

                
• 200 ml milk,
• 280 g flour,
• 2 eggs,
• 1 tsp instant yeast,
• 85 g butter,
• 170 ml carbonated water,
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract,
• 1 tablespoon sugar,
• pinch of salt.

Instructions:

Separate the egg yolks and whites. Set the whites aside for now, and mix the yolks with slightly warmed milk, sugar, a pinch of salt, and vanilla extract.

Add flour mixed with yeast and melted but cooled butter to this mixture.

Cover the prepared mixture with a clean cloth and let it rise for 15 minutes. Then, add the egg whites whipped to stiff peaks. Combine everything using a spoon.

Let the dough rest for another 20 minutes.

After this, you can start pouring the batter into the waffle maker. Serve with your favourite toppings. In my case, it's our latest homemade hit, which is red currant jam.