Cook time: 4 minutes each Rising and chilling time: 14 hours. I start this by 4 p.m. for waffles at 10 a.m.
First rise: 90 minutes
Second rise: 4 hours
Chilling: 8 hours Author: Ashlee Marie – see Authorship note below
Ingredients
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp granulated sugar
3/4 C whole milk, warmed to 110F-115F
2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
4 C bread flour
3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 C butter, softened (you’ll need this after the 90m rise, so can start prep with chilled butter)
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 C (8 oz) Belgian pearl sugar
Instructions
Place yeast, sugar and milk into your mixer and proof yeast 5-10 minutes.
Add egg and 1 1/2 C of the flour, mix until it’s smooth.
Sprinkle remaining 2 1/2 C flour over the mixture, to keep the dough from getting crusty. Cover the bowl and let rise 90 minutes.
Add brown sugar and salt, and blend on low to medium-low speed. While mixing add the honey and vanilla.
Add butter 2 Tbsp at a time.
Mix 4 minutes at medium-low speed, let the dough rest for 1 minute, and then continue to mix for 2 minutes, then rest. Repeat until the dough balls up on the hook.
Cover and let rise for 4 hours.
Knock the dough down, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, 2-3 times around.
Place the dough in a bowl or pan, cover, and weigh it down a bit and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, place the cold dough (it will be quite firm) on a slightly floured surface and in ALL the Belgian sugar, a little bit at a time.
Once mixed, divide the dough in 12 pieces of equal size.
Squeeze each chunk into a ball and let it rise for 90 minutes.
Cook in a waffle iron for about 4 minutes at 360 F (do not let iron exceed 375 F)
Let each waffle cool for a few minutes so the sugar glaze hardens.
Serve as-is, or with whipped cream and fruit. They’re very sweet so no syrup needed.
Cleaning note: Keep the waffle iron warm until you can clean it. The carmelized remains are hard to clean once they harden.