Liège (Belgian) Waffles

This makes 6 waffles, but because of the prep time required, you may want to double the recipe and freeze the left-overs. Rather than a batter, these waffles start off as a sticky dough.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of warm water and let it stand for several minutes. Then add about ½ cup of the flour and 1 egg. Mix until blended. Sprinkle the remaining flour over the mixture, but do not stir. Cover the bowl and let rest for an hour.

Add the second egg, brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and honey. With the paddle attachment, mix on low speed until the dough starts to collect on the paddle. Expect this to take at least 15 to 20 minutes, probably more.

Begin adding the butter a tablespoon at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Let each addition be mixed in before adding the next. Once all the butter has been completely incorporated, continue mixing until the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl and forms a ball on the paddle. This should take 2 to 6 more minutes.

Scrape the dough into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature for 4 hours. Put dough into the refrigerator for a cold rise overnight.

Take the dough from the fridge. Add all of the pearl sugar into the bowl and mix until the chunks are well-distributed. Divide into 6 equal portions, and form each into a ball. Set on a baking sheet, cover, and let rise for 90 minutes.

Allow the waffle iron to come to temperature (355° F to 360° F, if you have a temperature setting). Brush the plates with oil (don’t use spray, which can build up a sticky layer over time), and center a ball of dough on the plates. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes until the waffle is cooked through and the sugar has caramelized.