Liège Waffles

Breakfast can be a hurried affair hastily thrown together, but when you can, taking just a little more time and attention sets the day on a great path.  These Liège Waffles take breakfast to that next level and make it a treat your breakfast table won’t forget. The pearl sugar really makes each bite pop with sweetness without being overpowering!

You’ll see in the second photo one of my new favorite kitchen gadgets for dusting with powdered sugar, the OXO Dusting Wand.  This was in my gift bag from the Food Blog Forum Orlando in February, though it’s almost been more of a curse than a gift, because I can’t stop myself from dusting everything with powdered sugar and other spices. It’s compact, inexpensive, and you can get a tighter more accurate dusting than the big powdered sugar shakers I’ve always had.

INGREDIENTS:

1. 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2. 1 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3. 1/3 cup lukewarm water
4. 2 cups all-purpose flour
5. 1/2 teaspoon salt
6. 3 large eggs
7. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8. 2 sticks unsalted butter, melted (about 1 cup), plus more for brushing
9. 1 cup Belgian pearl sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, whisk the brown sugar and yeast into the lukewarm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, mix the flour with the salt. Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the yeast mixture. Mix at medium speed about 1 minute. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for 20 seconds between each. Whisk the vanilla with the 1 cup of melted butter. With the mixer at medium-low, gradually mix in the butter until smooth; the batter will be thick and very sticky. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the batter rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
2.  Stir the pearl sugar into the risen batter. Cover again and let rest for 15 minutes.
3.  Preheat the oven to 250°F. Preheat a Belgian waffle iron and brush it with melted butter. Gently stir the batter to deflate. Using about 2 tablespoons of batter for each, cook the waffles according to the manufacture’s directions until they are golden and crisp; brush the waffle iron with melted butter as needed. Transfer the waffles to plates or keep them warm in the oven, then serve.