When you have a waffle and breakfast food addiction, the first meal of the day can be a struggle. I have butter and batter running through my veins, buttermilk quenching my thirst, and fluffy waffles constituting most of my diet. Carboholic, if you will. But when I just have to indulge, I make my ultimate breakfast favorite: homemade Belgian waffles.
They're crunchy yet soft with perfect pits for butter, whipped cream, chopped nuts, fresh cut fruit, or over easy eggs. A hot golden brown waffle with butter spread in every nook and cranny with oozing yellow yolk running over it; hold on, I'll be right back I have to go make one. Since I was a kid, waffles have been my favorite comfort and breakfast food because of their exquisite mix of crispness and softness. Who doesn't love a little bit of both worlds with each bite?
So what makes the waffle Belgian over the classic American style? Belgian waffles are typically larger in size with lighter batter and larger squares. American waffles tend to have smaller and more plentiful squares in their waffle design and the batter is much more dense and thick. It doesn't typically have all the same lumps or fluffiness that Belgian waffle batter does. However, what we know as the Belgian waffle doesn't actually exist in Belgium. Their waffles include the Brussels Waffle, the Waffle House menu is a delight, as is the Liege Waffle, and the Stroopwafel; none are that similar to the Americanized Belgian waffle. So what we know as a "Belgian" waffle is actually just a different take on the American waffle. Surprise!
Crafting the best homemade Belgian waffle from scratch takes time though. It took me many batches of waffles as a kid to learn how to get the right consistency in the batter and not to worry about all the lumps. The batter for these homemade Belgian waffles have bumps, lumps, and humps and is proud of it. Trying to mix all of these "issues" out would be a travesty to the waffle and your time. The lumps are ideal for giving the waffles the inner lightness you desire. If you happen to have huge lumps full of flour, that's a different story. You want the batter to be mixed enough to incorporate but not over done. Opening your waffle iron to some browned flour bunches instead of a great waffle would be a problem. Don't over mix but do incorporate.
When you overmix, you're taking all of the air out of the batter. Air bubbles are what gives the waffle its great texture. Worrying about lumps just takes away from the entire breakfast experience. The pictures in the recipe steps below will help you mix the right amount without going overboard. Additionally, it's important to remember to mix the dry and wet ingredients separately then combine. If you try to mix them all in the same bowl, the batter won't be nearly as fluffy and it will clump instead of allowing you to enjoy all the little air bubbles.
Another item to note with this recipe is the use of a fine-toothed fork or whisk. I typically use a fine-toothed fork that's kind of like a whisk instead of one. I like that it's easier to wash than a whisk and from what I can tell, the fork produces the same results. I've included a picture of my fork below for reference. A whisk will lighten up the mixture and completely incorporate all the ingredients but so will the fine-toothed fork. Some may see a difference in the fluffiness of the waffles, but from the many batches I've made using both, I couldn't see any substantial difference.
Several other recipes for homemade Belgian waffles use huge amounts of melted butter to add extra liquid to the batter. I'm not a huge fan of buttering anything up. Not only is it a ton of calories but it's not helping you to lead a healthier life. Instead of butter, I use more of the low fat buttermilk. You can still relish everything you love about homemade Belgian waffles but it's not stuffed with a ton of extra butter.
The buttermilk has 110 calories with 20 from fat in 1 cup. That means this recipe's buttermilk has 247.5 calories with 44 calories from fat. Butter has 100 calories per tablespoon with 100 calories from fat. If you used the traditional 1 ½ or 1 ¾ cup of buttermilk plus the typical 3 tablespoons of butter, you'd be looking at buttermilk's 192.5 calories with 35 from fat plus butter's 300 calories with 300 calories from fat for a total of 492.5 calories with 335 calories from fat. Quite a jump for a small substitution. I also enjoy the strong buttermilk flavor over the hint of melted butter mixed in with buttermilk.
Love waffles as much as I do? Start making these healthier homemade Belgian waffles for your next family brunch or to treat yourself on the weekends. You can top them with fresh cut fruit, nuts, whipped cream, powdered sugar, or make a sundae with ice cream and cherries. Can't get enough breakfast? Try the recipe for Homemade Buttermilk Pancakes to get the buttermilk pumping through your body.
In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Mix with a fine-toothed fork or whisk, in a medium bowl.
Add the buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract.
Mix the wet ingredients with a fine-toothed fork or whisk but do not overmix.
Slowly add the wet ingredients to dry and stir until combined.
Plug in your waffle iron and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Ladle about 1/2 cup of the waffle batter into the waffle iron.