Have you ever had yeast waffles? I hadn’t until eating at 24 Diner with friends this past summer. It was like having beer in waffle form! And with brown sugar butter! I have never smoked pot, but feel like that is precisely what one would want after doing so. Skip the drugs and head straight for the waffles, kids!
Naturally, I’ve been wanting to make them ever since. Then it became fall and, naturally, I wanted to make some with pumpkin in them. (I also had some pumpkin left over from the napoleon incident.)
Oh, you’re already sick of pumpkin? Well, it’s not Thanksgiving yet, so hold tight for a few more weeks.
[sidenote comparison: new phone ^ vs. old point-and-shoot camera v]
Luckily another blogger posted the recipe for all I’ve ever wanted: Pumpkin Maple Yeast Belgian Waffles. Someday I’ll try baking without a recipe. (Hey, that could be an idea for NaBloPoMo!)
I simplified the title because 1) I don’t have maple extract and 2) the waffle maker is not Belgian-style, yet it totally didn’t matter. However, they are sweetened with maple syrup and are definitely lighter than typical waffles.
Pumpkin Yeast Waffles
adapted (barely) from Baking Obsession
Aside from being really easy in general, the nice thing about these is that you make most of the batter the night before, then add in the eggs, extract(s), and baking soda right before preparing them. And then? Then you have delightfully yeasty, spiced waffles that are fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside. They’re not very sweet (a plus, IMO), but of course are perfect with maple syrup on top. Now I realize that I totally could have made brown sugar butter to go with these. Ah well.
1/2 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
7 oz (1/2 can) canned pumpkin puree, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey)
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure maple extract (I omitted)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I increased by 1/2 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
The night (or at least 8 hours) before: In a large bowl, combine the water, sugar, and yeast. Let sit for 10 minutes, or until foamy. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, warm milk, maple syrup, and melted butter. Gradually whisk in the flours, spices, and salt until well-combined. Cover tightly with a sheet of oil-sprayed plastic wrap and let sit on the counter (not refrigerated) overnight.
The next morning: While preheating your waffle iron, beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the eggs, extract(s), and baking soda to the waffle batter and mix well. Cook the waffles according to your waffle iron’s instructions. (I used a big ice cream scoop to neatly add the batter to the iron.)
If you’re planning to serve these to more people than just yourself, see the original recipe for a great tip.
Tip for my fellow single ladies and gents: cook up however many waffles you want to eat right then, eat them, and then continue cooking the rest. Place the finished waffles on a cooling rack. When they’re all done and cool, put them in a big (gallon-sized) zipper bag and store in your freezer. You can either reheat them in a toaster (if big enough) or in your oven for a few minutes at, say, 350F.
p.s. This made 10 waffles with an American-style waffle iron.
So fancy, I love it! I do not have a waffle maker, but I bet if I was super-crafty, I could mold these into some sort of pancake. I for one am NEVER tired of pumpkin, so LOOK OUT WORLD, I’m going to stuff PUMPKIN into your FACE!
Love the NaBloPoMo posts…keep it up! You can do it! :D
I am going to make these!! I’ve been dying to try yeasted waffles and I have a waffle maker sitting in my kitchen begging to be used.
I have had yeast waffles but have never made them myself! This recipe looks great and I actually have some pumpkin I need to use up so I might be making these for breakfast tomorrow. BTW, I love that last close up photo of all the waffles stacked up! PS: If you are a waffle lover have you ever tried cornstarch waffles? They have a lovely chewy texture!
Mary – I’ve always wondered about making pancakes out of waffle batter. Try it! Doesn’t seem much different. I was a late bloomer with the pumpkin this season, so there will probably be more pumpkin posts. Thanks for the encouragement!
Stephanie – I actually thought of you while making these! Yeast…pumpkin… :) Hope you like them!
Heather – Yay, use up that pumpkin! I hadn’t even heard of cornstarch waffles, so I definitely need to check those out. Chewy is good!
I’ve never heard of yeast waffles before, but they sound amazing! And with pumpkin! Pinning to try soon…
My wife is the waffle master ( I do the pancakes ). I am making a request by way of forwarding this to her. Have a great day.
Lauren – If you’re ever at 24 Diner, you should totally try them! Theirs are super yeasty. These are less so but also have the pumpkin and spices going on.
Wayne – That sounds like a good way to balance the cooking. Hope she’ll make them for you!
Yum! I had waffles at Jim’s this morning! Their waffle irons are specialized; they have the Jim’s logo right smack in the middle of the waffle.
I kind of want a Texas waffle iron like what they have at the classy budget hotels.
HI Jessica, these look really, really good & I adore pumpkin but I have one question: are you at all concerned about putting milk in the batter and then leaving it on the counter overnight? I’m somewhat phobic/obsessed with food safety and this tweaks that nerve a bit. Help calm that fear so I can make these, please!
Lucy, I didn’t know enough to answer your question, so I took it to the AFBA group. Michael Chu of Cooking for Engineers (our local food safety expert!) had this to say:
“The waffles are safe to eat because when you cook them it is thoroughly cooked through to a high enough temperature that no bacteria can survive. Since milk is pasteurized, the bacteria we are generally concerned with will be that which is introduced from the environment into your waffle mix. These will typically be salmonella, strep, and listeria. When cooked through, these bacteria die and do not cause a danger to the consumer. (We are especially concerned about food safety in meats because we generally do not cook meats to a high enough temperature for a long enough period of time to kill all the bacteria.) In bread products, the temperature of the finished product is typically around 200F which is a good 30-40F above the temperature we normally consider to instantly kill all bacteria. There are pathogens that can leave poisons which aren’t destroyed when heated to near boiling temperatures (botulinus spores are the most common), but they aren’t generally found in milk and unlikely to thrive in the conditions you have described.”
That said, if you are still worried about the batter sitting out, I have seen yeasted waffle recipes with a fridge rest overnight. You could probably try that with this one. :)
Thank you for such a thoroughly researched & explained response! The twitching has stopped… I think I might be able to make these now. :)
whew! Let me know if you do. :)