Regula’s waffles

This recipe started with one I found in the single tattered cookbook we had at home when I was growing up. Only having a handful of recipes at my disposal meant that I always felt the recipes were there as a guide only, and I could experiment to create my own result. My mother helped me make the first batch according to the recipe, which was just a few lines, and I went on from there, experimenting. The result was these soft waffles.

Credit: Regula Ysewijn / Murdoch Books

• makes

  14

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

They are often known as household waffles in Belgium, because they keep for over a week when properly stored. This means they are perfect for wafelenbak, a festivity where waffles are baked and sold. They are also often baked at children’s parties and small fairs.

I’ve halved the recipe here. As a child I always forgot to halve the recipe and the whole of our tiny flat would be full of trays of cooling waffles. I’d then make my own wrapping and boxes and give the waffles to elderly family members as ‘Regula’s waffles’ with handpainted labels.

I always made the waffles quite small to bake four in one go and eat two rather than one large one, but recently I’ve started making them larger. This is the recipe that has evolved the most throughout my life and it had its final tweak while I was writing Dark Rye and Honey Cake. 

Ingredients

• 125 g (4½ oz) unsalted butter
• 250 ml (9 fl oz) full-fat milk
• 5 eggs, separated
• 280 g (10 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 tsp natural vanilla essence, or seeds of 1 vanilla pod
• 490 g (1 lb 2 oz) plain wheat or spelt flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• Pinch (1/8 teaspoon) salt
• Oil, for greasing

Makes about 14 large waffles.

You will need a plain waffle iron for this recipe (see Note)

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter in the milk and let the mixture cool. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla until the mixture is light and creamy.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, pour in the milk mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth and no flour pockets remain. Now work in the egg yolk mixture, stirring until well combined.
3. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and fold into the batter in large slow movements, because you want to keep the air in.
4. Heat a waffle iron with the plain waffle attachment. Have a bowl of oil and a brush ready to grease the iron between bakes. Use 1 or 2 tablespoons of batter and see if you like the size. Bake the waffles to a pale golden brown colour and transfer to a wire rack. How long this takes depends on your iron, so please test the cooking time with the first waffle.
5. Eat them warm, preferably, but they are also very good cold, though they will be less fluffy. Reheating cold waffles in a hot waffle iron revives them beautifully and gives them a little crisp exterior.
6. Keep leftover waffles in an airtight container for up to 1 week; they also freeze very well.

Note

• While it would be great to use antique waffle irons, not everyone is an avid collector like me who owns these curiosities, and not everyone has the muscle to handle them. In Belgium having a waffle iron with more than one waffle plate is very common because, let’s be honest, this is waffle country. Waffles are part of our identity. For these waffles, I used a plain iron plate, which creates a waffle with 1.5 cm (½ inch) thickness.

Image and recipe from Dark Rye and Honey Cake by Regula Ysewijn, photography by Regula Ysewijn (Murdoch Books, $55)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

They are often known as household waffles in Belgium, because they keep for over a week when properly stored. This means they are perfect for wafelenbak, a festivity where waffles are baked and sold. They are also often baked at children’s parties and small fairs.

I’ve halved the recipe here. As a child I always forgot to halve the recipe and the whole of our tiny flat would be full of trays of cooling waffles. I’d then make my own wrapping and boxes and give the waffles to elderly family members as ‘Regula’s waffles’ with handpainted labels.

I always made the waffles quite small to bake four in one go and eat two rather than one large one, but recently I’ve started making them larger. This is the recipe that has evolved the most throughout my life and it had its final tweak while I was writing Dark Rye and Honey Cake.