Belgium Waffle Recipe

There is more than one Belgium waffle recipe because there is more then one Belgium waffle. The name Belgian waffle, or more precisely "Bel-Gem" waffle, was created in New York at the 1964 World's Fair by Maurice Vermersch and his wife.

Vermersch started making waffles when living in Belgium before the outbreak of World War II. He started two restaurants in Belgium and business went so well in Brussels that Vermersch decided to head to New York Fair.

The waffle that most Americans would think of as a Belgian waffle is known in Belgium as gaufre de Bruxelles, "the Brussels waffle".

Waffles are considered typical of Belgium, which boasts several varieties with somewhat different waffle recipes.

The Brussels waffle is based on a batter raised with yeast -- as opposed to most North American waffle or pancake batters, which are raised with baking powder. The yeast raising changes the chemistry of the batter, producing a tenderer crumb in the finished waffle than a baking-powder raising can. The yeast and the beaten egg whites which are folded into the batter work together to produce a light crisp waffle.

Directions for Basic Belgium waffle recipe:

1. Take a cup of milk and heat it until it is lukewarm then mix in your yeast. You can now leave the yeast standing for a while.

2. In the mean time - melt the butter, but stop as soon as it melts, don't over heat it or even burn it - you will lose the taste.

3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and beat the egg whites until you get snow.

4. Now take a big giant huge bowl and throw in all the flour, vanilla sugar (one sachet) and some salt. Make a hole in the middle of the flour and fill it with melted butter, dissolved yeast and egg yolk.

5. Mix while you are adding milk (and some mineral water if you want). You should mix it really well so there are no lumps. The question you might ask here is how dense should the dough be, how much milk? It should be thick, think pancakes and then make it a bit thicker.

6. Gently mix the beaten egg whites into the dough.

7. Leave the dough to rest and rise at room temperature for a while. How long? Until the volume of the dough doubles or even triples! We told you to take a really big bowl. If you are in a hurry then wait for 30 minutes to one hour, but if you can, make the waffle dough in the evening and leave it overnight.

8. Use the oil to grease the waffle iron (which should be very hot) so your waffles don't stick to it and pour the dough in it. Bake the until they turn golden brown.

The Liege waffle is also known as the Luikse wafel in Vlaamse and as Lütticher waffeln in German.) It's more or less oval - shaped, a thinner and smaller waffle than the Brussels waffle.

The Flemish waffle: It depends on where you are in Flanders but there are regional variations which all have their own texture and taste. Worth trying warm with a sprinkle of sugar or for a touch more indulgence, try them with a dollop of cream, hot chocolate or jam sauce. Beautifully light, Flemish waffles make the perfect snack or desert.