crispy vanilla bean waffles
Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2010 holds great things for all of us, and I especially hope you will continue reading here this year! I intend to make a few changes here over the next few months – upgrades, more posts, additional features..things I hope you will enjoy. I am excited about them all and anxious to get your input. Until then, let’s start this year off right with a fabulous waffle recipe!
Most of us will have a super long weekend this week…which means you have time to make and enjoy these foolproof waffles. Seriously – Foolproof. I know this because I am not a very good waffler. (Is that a word?) It’s been ages since I drug out the waffle iron to even attempt it. It never failed that I would either burn or undercook them, no matter what. And the ones that looked fantastic? They ended up stuck to the iron. Does this happen to you?
Well, today I made a new recipe. Come to think of it, I had never really “made” a recipe for waffles. The last time I used my old crappy waffle iron was before I attempted the “doughmesstic” thing, so, I most certainly used a box. But not today!! Thanks to the tweet from @carolineadobo last night, I was put onto a crispy waffle recipe that was made using yeast instead of baking powder or soda. I love yeast, but yeast does not typically love it here. Lately though, this new bag of yeast and I have been getting along fabulously, so I decided to give it a go. I made a few changes to the recipe she recommended (which can be found here at The Crispy Waffle) and had round after round of successful, tasty, perfectly textured waffles with Jon & Seven this morning! Do keep in mind that these are a “plan ahead” treat as they need to have overnight to rise in your fridge, so take 5 minutes and whip them up before you head to bed.
These waffles, to me, get the “perfect” label thanks to their crispy outside and soft buttery insides. Top them with your favorite syrup, whipped cream, chocolate – go for it!
Crispy Vanilla Bean Waffles
makes 10 – 6 inch waffles
Ingredients
2 cups plus 2 Tbsps flour
1-1/2 tsp instant yeast
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
2 cups warm milk
2 eggs
1 vanilla bean, scraped (I prefer Beanilla Vanilla Beans)
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
The night before:
- Combine the warm milk, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Allow to sit for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, melt the butter and scrape the vanilla bean in preparation for the rest of the batter.
- Combine the flour and salt and add to the yeast mixture after the 10 minute wait is up.
- Whisk the vanilla with the 2 eggs and melted butter, then add to the batter. Combine, but do not over beat.
- Cover batter and refrigerate overnight.
- Just before cooking, stir batter to deflate it.
- Use cooking spray or a silicon brush dipped in melted butter to prepare your waffle iron (I even added a little bit of sugar to my melted butter when readying the waffle iron – yummy!).
- Prepare the waffles according to your manufacturer’s suggestions. Enjoy!
I was fortunate enough to be using my brand new Oster Flip Waffle Iron to make my waffles – thanks to my sister who braved the Black Friday Sales – and I can not tell you how thrilled I am with it! It is pretty much a human sized version of the ones found in hotel breakfast areas, where you load it up, flip it, wait for the light & voila! The Oster has a green light function that alerts you when the iron is hot enough to add the batter, then once you flip it, there is another green light that will alert you when the waffle is done. No guesswork, no peeking (and thus ruining your steamed goodness), no problems! You can get the same model I have at Amazon, and it is worth every penny – at $39. I, on the other hand, had to only pay $10. My sister’s a keeper!! God love her and those Black Friday Sales! Thanks Jenn!
One thing that I loved about these waffles was the intensity of the vanilla flavor. I am thrilled to be working with Beanilla, and was overwhelmed by their generous offer to supply me with top quality vanilla products. For this recipe, I used a bean from Tonga – a real rarity – and Beanilla is the ONLY online seller of Tongan Beans. 
Because of Tonga’s rich fertile soil, organically grown Vanilla Beans from this region are superior, with flavor and aromatic qualities that make these beans a splendid treat. Tonga vanilla beans are frequently used by gourmet chocolate makers because the flavor extremely bold, pronounced, and unique. This type of vanilla will stand up to the fullest flavored deserts. Tonga only produces 144 tons of Vanilla Beans annually. Therefore, these beans are a rare and highly sought after vanilla bean.
The quality of Beanilla – whether these Tongan, their Madagascar, Tahitian, Indian or even their own Beanilla Beans is unparalleled. And the pricing! Compared to your local grocer dolling out subpar old beans for $5 a pop, you can pick up first quality beans for a fraction of that. Please take a moment to check them out – I have been impressed and I think you will be too!
Until next time…Happy New Year!
