best liege waffles!!

A Liege waffle is a truly authentic Belgian experience. The Liege waffle recipe has been kept a secret for centuries. Belgium's most common waffle is traditionally referred to as the liege waffle. The Liege waffle (named after the city of Liege, in eastern Belgium) was invented in the 18th century. The ingredients used and the method of preparation in the liege waffle recipe is what makes this a unique treat. Liege waffles are sold by street vendors throughout Belgium.

Liege waffles contain chunks of pearl sugar. This special type of sugar caramelizes on the outside of the waffle when baked. Pearl sugar caramelized on the waffle is the key to a delicious Liege waffle. This process makes the waffles sweet enough to eat plain, as they do in Belgium. You can also make optional cinnamon flavored waffles.

The liege waffle recipe dough making process is time consuming, due to the importance of the dough rising perfectly, but is worth every second in the end. Hundreds of hours were spent trying different recipes and perfecting this one. This Liege waffle recipe will deliver you the most authentic Liege waffle you can find. As you take your first bite you will feel like you are back in Belgium.

Liege Waffle Recipe Ingredients (Makes 10 waffles)  

1 tbsp granulated sugar

3 tsp active dry yeast

½ cup whole milk warmed to 110-115 degrees

1/3 cup water warmed to 110-115 degrees

4 Cups flour

2 Large eggs

4 Tbsp brown sugar

1 ½ tsp baking powder 

1 ½ tsp salt

1 cup butter (2sticks)

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp pure vanilla

1 ½ cups Belgian Pearl sugar (“Lars Own” is the easiest to find in the US)

(optional cinnamon liege waffles) add 2-3 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Direction **Use a dough hook for all mixing

1. Mix warmed milk, warmed water, yeast, and 1 ½ cups of flour in a mixer for 3-5 minutes until contents have a pasty consistency

2. Let contents sit in mixer bowl for around 60 minutes. Will rise substantially in bowl.

3. Add the following ingredients to the top of mixture during the 60 minutes without mixing into contents (let them sit on top). Remaining 3 ½ cups of flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, butter, and eggs. 

4. After letting stand for 60 minutes add the vanilla and honey then mix entire contents together for around 5 min.

5. Let dough rise for 4 hours at room temperature

6. After dough has risen for 4 hours, stir the dough down, let all the gases deflate. Then place dough into a cake pan or leave it in the mixing bowl and cover dough with butcher paper, or something similar. Next, weigh the dough down with plates and anything else that weighs a few pounds in your refrigerator and place dough in your refrigerator overnight.

7. The next day add the pearl sugar. It is easiest to kneed in by hand but can alsobe done with a dough hook in the mixer.

8. If cinnamon is wanted kneed in at this point. After pearl sugar has been added.

9. Separate the dough into 10 evenly sized balls.

10. Let dough balls sit with pearl sugar for 90 minutes before cooking.

11. If you have a liege waffle iron (cast iron) cook dough balls at 365 – 370 degrees for 2 – 3 minutes or until golden brown with a caramelized outside.

If you are using a regular waffle iron cook slightly hotter around 400 degrees then drop temp down to 300 after putting dough ball onto the hot iron so the pearl sugar doesn稚 burn. ** Cooking times and temperature settings may vary and may require a little trial and error with a regular waffle iron, but it can work even with a regular waffle iron.

Let cool for about 2 minutes because the caramel sugar will be extremely hot.

Liege waffles are amazing plain or feel free to eat them with fondue chocolate, whip cream, powdered sugar, ice cream or strawberries for an added touch.

The Liege waffle dough balls can be frozen for up to 4 months and still taste great. They will be good in the refrigerator for about 2 days.

belgian waffles

Gaufres de Liege
makes 12 waffles

6 tablespoons warm milk (no hotter than 110°F)
1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar 

2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 cups (230 grams) bread flour, sifted
1 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 medium egg
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup (4 oz) unsalted butter, at slightly cooler than room temperature
140 grams turbinado sugar, or pearl sugar if you choose
Cooking spray

Dissolve the sugar in the warm milk; then add the yeast. Make sure that the milk is not too hot, lest it kill the yeast instead of promoting its growth. Place a plate or some kind of cover on top of the bowl with the milk, sugar and yeast. Set aside for about five minutes. When you check on it, the yeast should have bubbled up, looking light brown and spongy.

Meanwhile, mix the sifted bread flour with the cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in the yeast mixture; then add the whole egg and egg yolk. Mix on medium speed until it is fully combined. The dough will be yellow and stiff, yielding only slightly to a poke.

Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rest in a warm place for about thirty minutes.

Beat in the butter piece by piece; you do not have to wait for the prior piece to be fully incorporated before adding the next. When the dough has incorporated about half of the butter, the mixture will be like a very thick, somewhat broken-up paste. If you keep engaging the mixer on medium-high speed, the dough will eventually become a cohesive whole, looking smoother and more feeling more elastic. Scrape the sides of the bowl if needed.

Kneading very gently, incorporate the sugar crystals just enough to get them evenly distributed. Work quickly so as not to soften the buttery dough too much.

Divide the dough into a dozen equal pieces, gently forming them into balls.

Place the balls of dough on a cutting board in a warmish place for fifteen minutes or so. During the last two minutes of this resting time, preheat your waffle iron until it is very warm, but not hot.

Spray the griddles with cooking oil. Place each ball of dough in a whole square or section of the waffle iron. Like regular waffle batter, the dough will start to puff up. Cook the waffles until the surface is golden to dark brown. Be sure that the waffle iron you are using is appropriately deep, or else the interior of the waffle will not be cooked through. If you are using a vintage stovetop waffle iron, flip the iron every thirty to forty seconds, lifting the iron to check the rate of browning. The browning should be gradual to allow the interior to fully develop.

Set the waffles on a cooling rack as they come out of the iron to promote a crispy exterior. Serve immediately with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

Any leftover waffles, if they are not dark brown, can be carefully re-cooked in a toaster for approximately thirty to sixty seconds. Leftover waffles may also be kept in an airtight container between sheets of parchment paper, for up to three days.

Thank you for sharing, Chichi! We recently had Gaufres de Liege for the first time and now we're obsessed with them too. They are in another class from regular old waffles; we can hardly wait to try making them!