My Go-To Waffle Recipe for Fluffy Centers and Crisp Edges

TL;DR

Waffles can be prepared with a dough similar to pancakes and crepes (some people use the same dough) or with a yeast dough. There are countless variations of waffle doughs, and this often while depends on the region of origin.

While the dough is pressed together and cooked between the metal plates, the leavened dough is forced to expand in the heat in the squared space. This results in the lovely exchange of crispy and soft textures when we bite into a cooked waffle!

The Belgians are most famed for their countless amazing waffle varieties, but the French, of course, have their fair count of waffles as well, although French waffles are based on the regular fluffy waffle recipe.

This recipe is based on a Northern French version, where the egg whites are separated and beaten fluffy. The stiff whites are then folded into the dough, and the result is fluffier-than-usual waffles.

Ingredient Notes

To make waffles, you will need common pantry ingredients.

• Egg
• Flour — Cake flour or all-purpose flour
• Sugar
• Salt
• Baking Powder
• Butter - unsalted
• Milk
• Flavoring such as vanilla, almond essence, orange flower water, rosewater... (optional)

As you can see, flavoring is an option. I rarely add flavoring because I like my waffles plain; sometimes waffles can be enjoyed also with savory ingredients such as poached eggs.

Flavoring with orange flower water is common in France and will remind you of orange flower flavored Madeleine individual cakes. This is something I  leave up to you if you want to flavor your waffles or not.

Process Overview

To prepare fluffy waffles, you will need a waffle maker. This is an essential tool because the waffles turn out amazing in the honeycomb shape, resulting in light, airy waffles with a crispy, crunchy outside.

Then get all your ingredients together and keep everything ready before you get into the preparation mode of your waffle dough. To make the waffle dough from scratch, start out by separating the egg yolk from the egg white.

This is our main step here and the special technique in creating the fluff that we require in our waffles. Keep aside the egg yolk and focus first on the egg white.  Beat your egg white with the hand mixer until you have a stiff egg white snow.

Test if the egg white is stiff by turning the bowl upside down; the egg white shouldn't fall out! It helps to beat egg whites in a cold bowl so that they stiffen easily.

Add sieved flour (so that no lumps appear), powdered sugar (to mix in easily), a pinch of salt, and baking powder to the egg yolk in the bowl. Continue to add in the molten butter (make sure the butter is not hot) and add some of the milk. I  like to work with a hand mixer to create a smooth dough.

Do that and add the remaining milk and any flavoring and mix into a smooth dough so that no lumps are left. Keep aside the first part of the waffle dough. Last step, add the stiff egg whites to the other dough part and fold in the egg whites.

Do not mix! Mixing would destroy all the air from the stiff egg whites. If you carefully fold it in only half, the airiness will come out; that's alright. Heat up your waffle maker and wait for it to be super hot.

Then pour in a ladle of the waffle dough and close. Cook until the waffles turn golden and crispy.

Serving

In France, waffles are served with sugar most of the time. That's the most basic version of how waffles are served, and that way waffles have been mostly enjoyed as an afternoon coffee time dessert treat.

Of course, the more indulgent folks will like to serve the waffles with ice cream, syrups, maple syrup, whipped cream, you name it! Frequently waffles can also be served as a savory brunch treat.

In that case, you could omit the sugar in this recipe (although sugar is really not a bomb in this fluffy waffle recipe) and add some fresh rocket leaves, a sprinkle of pumpkin seed oil and a poached egg placed over the "nest" and the honeycomb.

Tools

• Waffle Maker with removable plates to easily clean
• Kitchen Machine to prepare the dough or Hand Mixer
• Weight scale to accurately weigh all the ingredients so that your waffles turn out perfectly!