Liege Waffles

Half recipe in [ ]; Yield 10 waffles; 445 calories each (with almond milk)

[1/3 cup] 3/4 cup warm milk (between 110 and 116 degrees F)

[3 g/1 tsp] 6 g (2 teaspoons) yeast

[1 tbsp] 2 tablespoon sugar

[1] 2 large eggs

[4 oz/half a stick] 8 oz melted butter

[210 g] 420 g (3 1/2 cups) all purpose flour

[1/4] 1/2 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

[1] 2 teaspoons vanilla

[4 oz] 8 oz Belgian Pearl Sugar

1. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm milk in bowl of a stand mixer. Let sit for about 5 minutes until the yeast begins to foam.

2. Add 2 eggs, melted butter and whisk together with fork.

3. Add ~85% of flour (180 g for half recipe), salt and vanilla to yeast and milk mixture. 

4. Mix on low with dough hook until mixture is smooth (about 5 mins). Add remaining flour (30 g for half recipe) and mix on low speed, stopping once or twice to pull the dough off the hook, about 5 minutes, or until the dough is glossy, pulls away from the side of the bowl and has gathered in a ball on the hook.

5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 2 hours. The dough will double in size. Stir the puffed dough with a spoon to deflate, then re-cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

6. Remove dough from refrigerator and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in the pearl sugar (or your homemade version) a little at a time. The dough will be stiff but will become more pliable as it warms. 

7. Break dough into pieces about 3-4 oz each. You should have 9-10 balls of dough. 

8. Preheat waffle iron to 400F. 

9. Generously grease waffle iron with butter. Cook one piece of dough at a time, place dough in middle of waffle iron, close and cook until outside is crispy and center is cooked through (2-5 mins). Watch carefully, sugar will burn if cooked at too high temperature. 

10. Lay on a wire rack while cooking remaining dough. May be kept in warm oven (225 degrees) until ready to serve, or serve immediately with toppings. 

https://abountifulkitchen.com/leige-waffle-recipe/

Tip - To make your own pearl sugar, combine 1½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) water in a large saucepan and stir so the sugar clumps into small bits. Cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. The sugar should dry out but not caramelize. Pour the sugar onto a plate and let cool. Break up any large clumps with your fingers and sift through to collect 1 cup pea-size clumps, leaving smaller sugar granules behind. (Making the pearl sugar this way will produce more than required for the waffles, but the only way to get enough large clumps is to start with more sugar than you need.)