Waffles were always a tradition back home. In the winter, we used to make them at least once a month, on Saturday nights. Everyone would get a first waffle with butter and Coulommiers cheese; then nutella / whipped cream, nutella / banana / whipped cream, jam / whipped cream, jam / Coulommiers, butter / powdered sugar, chestnut spread, … I know, I know: not exactly what you’d call a healthy dinner, but so damn good.
In a way, that family ritual was as important as the galettes (buckwheat pancakes) my grandmother makes for the whole family for lunch on Saturdays. But that’s a topic for another post.
Naturally when I moved to Hungary, I did my best to convince Adri we needed to buy a waffle iron. ☺️ Fast forward a few years, we now have our own waffle ritual: every other weekend, my little helper and I make waffles (or pancakes) for breakfast.
Over the past few years, I’ve tried many different recipes, from different sites and books. I could never find the perfect one though: waffles were always too hard, too soft, tasted like cardboard, had way too much sugar, … Last weekend my daughter was rumbling through one of our cookbooks, and a small piece of paper fell off the book. Turns out I had copied my mother’s recipe once, and forgot about it. We of course had to try it right away, and it turned out perfect! Here it is below.
Waffles comme à la maison
Waffles like I used to eat them as a kid. Crispy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside. And you'll have enough for left-overs!
- I replaced half of the milk with water, so the waffles are crispier. They also stay soft and taste better the day after. I used water, but you could use apple cider or beer as well. It gives a nice little taste.
- I used vanilla powder to give some extra taste, but you can use rum instead. If you used cider or beer in place of the water, you can skip that.
- This is important: separate your egg whites, add a pinch of salt, whip them until stiff, and add them to your batter at the very end. Your waffles will feel lighter, fluffier on the inside, and will look bigger.
- Your waffle iron must be super hot so your waffles are crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside.
- The batter might seem a bit thin; if your waffle iron is hot that won’t be problem. Just be gentle when you close the lid.
- One last little trick: make more waffles that you need. You’ll have left-overs for the next morning. Don’t over-cook the last few batches you make. The next morning, drop them in the toaster for a couple of minutes; they’ll have the perfect colour and they’ll be warm. You can wrap the waffles in a cloth so they don’t get too dry until the next day.
Ingredients
- 500 g flour (can’t tell you how many cups / ounces that is, sorry).
- 50 g sugar.
- 3 eggs, separated.
- 100 g melted butter.
- A pinch of salt.
- A pinch of vanilla powder.
- 2 tablespoons baking powder.
- 500 ml water.
- 500 ml milk.
Directions
- Melt your butter.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks.
- Add in the sugar, and the melted butter.
- Slowly add the flour mixture.
- Once it starts getting really thick, slowly add in the water as you continue to add the flour mixture.
- Add the milk.
- Whip the egg whites until stiff, and gently incorporate them into the batter. It’s alright if they’re not all perfectly mixed.
Heat your waffle iron. While it heats, add a layer of oil. Make sure there is oil everywhere; you can use a brush or a tissue to spread the oil everywhere.
Cook according to your waffle maker’s manual; my waffles need 6 to 7 minutes to be a bit golden and crisp.
If you’d like, you can add powdered sugar on top before to serve them.
Enjoy while hot! ☺️
If you need a few ideas, try this:
- Salted butter and chocolate powder; the butter melts and the powder mixes with the melted butter… You can’t beat that.
- Salted butter and powdered sugar.
- Salted butter, crystal sugar, and a bit of cinnamon.
- Jam.
- Nutella.
- Nutella / banana.
- Salter butter and cheese.
- Red berries jam and cheese. Not just any cheese though; go for something with a strong taste, or the cheese taste will be covered by the jam. It has to be a perfect mix. I’d recommend camembert, or Comté.
5 replies on “Waffles: my mother’s recipe”
I made homemade waffles this weekend for my kids, but next weekend I’m going to try this recipe instead!
500g flour = 4 cups
50g sugar = 3 1/3 Tbsp
100g butter = about 7 Tbsp
500 ml = 16.9 ozs.
and I’ll be trying this too!
Thanks! :)
Well damn. Now I have to get a waffle iron!
Jeremy, this is just perfect! Thanks for sharing it! ;-)