Overnight Belgian Waffles

Hi, my name is Scott and I'm a carboholic.  Especially for breakfast!  For me most weekeds are not complete without a stack of pancakes for breakfast on either Saturday or Sunday.  But sometimes we go nuts and like to make waffles instead.  Especially when strawberries are in season.  Now you can take our buttermilk pancake recipe and use that as a basic waffle recipe, or on really special occasions we have a to die for Liege waffle recipe that took years to perfect after having those sweet crispy waffles in Brussels on vacation, but for the best breakfast waffle recipe you have to start the night before.  This has become our go to recipe when we have the urge for waffles (and we think of it ahead of time).  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2 Tbs sugar
• 2 cups warm milk
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 2 Tbs honey
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Instructions:

• The night before, combine the water, yeast and sugar in a very large bowl (the batter will expand enormously). Allow it to stand for about 5 minutes, until the yeast dissolves and the mixture has started to bubble.  This tells you the yeast is good.
• Stir in the milk, butter, honey, vanilla and salt.
• Add the flour and whisk until the batter is smooth.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to sit at a cool room temperature, or in the fridge overnight.
• The next morning, heat a Belgian waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions and brush the top and bottom with melted butter or cooking spray.
• Add the egg yolks and baking soda to the batter and whisk until combined.
• In a serarate bowl whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Fold beaten egg whites into the waffle batter
• Pour just enough of the batter onto the hot waffle iron to cover the grids, close and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat, until the waffles are golden brown.
Serve with fresh berries and whipped cream, or whatever toppings you like.