Remember those cartoons with a classic apple pie cooling on a windowsill, a billowy cloud wafting from it? The aroma would unfailingly hook an unsuspecting character by the nose and draw him like a ragdoll to its sweet, sweet source. Iโ€™m pretty sure thatโ€™s what I looked like the first time I caught the scent of Belgian waffles.

It was seven years ago. Iโ€™d just moved to Brussels and was eager to explore my new surrounds. Iโ€™d set out for the weekly farmers market near my house, and it was there that the scent cloud first tickled my nose. Like a dog with a nervous tick, I twitched my head side to side, sniffing the wind until I found the source of honeyed air. It was a large white and yellow truck the size of a well-equipped motor home and kitted out as a mobile patisserie. One side of the truck was hinged and propped up to form an overhead shelter that protected a glass display case above the wheel wells. Within were delicate pastries and cookiesโ€”gems in a jewel case.

Waffle Truck
A waffle truck in Brussels

But I was ogling something else. Off to the side, near a stack of baguettes, a waffle iron sat, steaming and puffing, oozing crusted batter drippings. Without hesitation, and pointing dumbly to the billowing iron in hopes of relieving any doubt as to exactly what I wanted, I said, โ€œUne gaufre, sโ€™il vous plaรฎt.โ€ A waffle, please. A manโ€”Gilles, I would later learn, thanks to my biweekly visitsโ€”took a utensil resembling a barbecue fork and peeled the crenellated confection off the knobs of the iron, folded a piece of wax paper around it, and handed it over. I cradled it in two hands as if it were a piece of fragile glass. This waffle was nothing like the IHOP version of a โ€œBelgianโ€ waffle Iโ€™d grown accustomed to in the U.S. In my hand was a warm, ginger-brown oblong waffle about the size of a kitchen sponge. With no maple syrup and no whipped cream smiley faces in sight, I sunk my teeth into the dense, sweet, chewy confection known as a Liรจge (pronounced LEE-ezh) waffle. The caramelized crust gave way easily and the taste of butter and sugar melted on my tongue. It was love. My understanding of a true Belgian waffleโ€”and my waistlineโ€”would never be the same. The Belgian waffle as we know it in America actually originated as the โ€œBel Gem Waffle,โ€ a food created by Belgian restaurateur Maurice Vermersch for New Yorkโ€™s 1964 Worldโ€™s Fair. Waffles became a national craze in subsequent years, the waffle iron a fixture in American kitchens. The name โ€œBel Gemโ€ mutated first to โ€œBelgium,โ€ then to โ€œBelgian,โ€ forever linking the flat country to maple syrup-splattered diner menus across the 50 states.

Belgium isnโ€™t totally blameless hereโ€”the small quiet types never are. Though Vermerschโ€™s rendition was a far cry from the waffle nirvana Iโ€™d experienced at the market, it was actually patterned after a โ€œBrusselsโ€ waffle. This is a cousin to the authentic Belgian waffle yet more closely resembles the American version. Leavened with yeast and egg whites, itโ€™s fluffier than the real Belgian deal and served in a stack throughout its namesake city, with toppings such as chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and strawberries.

However, the most common type of waffle in Belgium, and in my opinion the most bewitching, is the doughy diva I discovered that day in the market. Named for a town in southeast Belgium, the Liรจge waffle is cooked on an extremely hot iron that caramelizes the chunks of pearl sugar in the batter, creating a glistening crust that enrobes the buttery, vanilla-y cake beneath. Itโ€™s eaten by hand in Belgiumโ€”and never for breakfastโ€”though Iโ€™ve been known to eat them morning, noon, and night. Street vendors around Brussels prepare and serve them hot off the iron from vans parked at just about every market and main shopping area. Iโ€™m partial to the vans in front of the cityโ€™s most beautiful landmarks and vistas.

You really donโ€™t need an excuse to indulge in a Liรจge waffleโ€”at least I certainly donโ€™t. But August 24 marks the anniversary of the first U.S. patent for a waffle iron. Itโ€™s not the same as the iron used for an authentic gaufre Liรจge, yet itโ€™ll suffice. Well worth the effort, this recipe is somewhat more sophisticated to make than a toaster waffle yet slightly less difficult to produce than a tiered wedding cake. If you canโ€™t bring yourself to make it from scratch, donโ€™t worry. Chances are thereโ€™ll soon be a waffle truck near you. Youโ€™ll know it when you smell it. Just follow that billowing scent cloud.โ€“Kimberley Lovato

Belgian Liege waffles divided between plates with a pitcher of cream in the background.

Liรจge Waffles

4.86 / 7 votes
Liรจge waffles are a bit of a long haul, prep-wise, but theyโ€™re absolutely worth it. Pearl sugar caramelizes the crisp edges, while yeasted dough makes them lighter than regular waffles.
Kimberley Lovato
CourseBreakfast
CuisineBelgian
Servings5 waffles
Calories557 kcal
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time16 hours

Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup scalded whole milk*, [110ยฐF to 115ยฐF (43ยฐC to 46ยฐC)]
  • 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons warm water, [110ยฐF to 115ยฐF (43ยฐC to 46ยฐC)]
  • 2 cups bread flour, plus more for dusting
  • 1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 8 1/2 tablespoons (4 1/4 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup Belgian pearl sugar, (Lars Own brand is an excellent choice) or sugar cubes that youโ€™ve coarsely crushed in a mini chop or a food processor
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Instructions 

  • Dump the yeast, milk, and water in the bowl of a stand mixer and combine until the yeast is just moistened. This ought to take but a few seconds. Add the egg and 2/3 cup of the flour and mix just until incorporated. Sprinkle with the remaining flour but do not stir. Cover and let stand until the batter is bubbling up through its mantle of flour, 75 to 90 minutes.
  • With the mixer on low speed, add the brown sugar and salt to the batter and mix just until combined. With the machine still running, add the honey and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, and mix for 4 minutes on medium-low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice during that period. Let the dough rest for 1 minute and then continue to mix for 2 more minutes. (The dough should be sticking to the sides of the bowl during the last minute of mixing and then, in the last 30 seconds or so, it should start to ball-up on the paddle. If this doesnโ€™t happen, let the dough rest for 1 more minute and mix for another 2 minutes. Whatever the outcome of the extra mixing, proceed to the next step.)
  • Turn the dough into a large bowl and sprinkle very lightly with flour. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 4 hours.
  • Now cover and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
  • Stir the dough down by pressing on it gently to deflate it. Carefully scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and then press the dough into a long rectangle. Fold that rectangle over onto itself in thirds, like a letter, so that you have a square of dough. Wrap it in plastic, weigh it down a bit (I place two heavy dinner plates on top of it), and refrigerate overnight.
  • The next day, place the cold dough (itโ€™ll be quite firm) in a large bowl and add all of the pearl sugar to the bowl. It will seem like a lot of sugar, but itโ€™s supposed to be a lot. Mix the sugar into the dough by hand until the chunks are well distributed. Once mixed, divide the dough into 5 pieces of equal size. Shape each chunk into an oval ball (like a football but without the pointy ends) and let it rise, covered loosely in plastic wrap, for exactly 90 minutes.
  • If you have a professional waffle iron (meaning itโ€™s made from cast iron and weighs over 20 pounds) cook at exactly 365ยฐ to 370ยฐ F (185ยฐ to 187ยฐC) (the max temp before sugar begins to burn) for about 2 minutes. If you have a regular waffle iron, heat the iron to 375ยฐ F (190ยฐC) and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. (Many regular waffle irons go up to and over 550ยฐ F (287ยฐC) at their highest setting. I suggest you place the dough on the iron and immediately unplug it or turn the temp dial all the way down; otherwise, the sugar will burn.)
  • Let the waffles cool a few minutes before eating, wrapped in waxed paper, if desired.

Notes

*What is scalded milk?

Older recipes often call for scalded milk but itโ€™s not something you see as much anymore. This is a holdover from when milk wasnโ€™t universally pasteurized. So that biscuit recipe passed down from your great-aunt Annie might not need the scalding step for health reasons, anymore. At its most basic, scalding just means bringing milk to a temperature of 180ยฐF and then letting it cool to 110ยฐF (43ยฐC). In the before-times, this helped to kill bacteria and an enzyme that prevented thickening in recipes. But now that milk is pasteurized, why do you need to bother? Scalding still serves a purpose when you add yeast, melt butter, or want to infuse flavor. Scalded milk also has a distinctly different flavor from plain old room temperature milk.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 waffleCalories: 557 kcalCarbohydrates: 81 gProtein: 9 gFat: 23 gSaturated Fat: 14 gTrans Fat: 1 gCholesterol: 92 mgSodium: 375 mgFiber: 2 gSugar: 43 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe ยฉ 2009 Kimberley Lovato. Photo ยฉ 2021 Nito. All rights reserved.


Recipe Testersโ€™ Reviews

This is the best Liรจge waffle recipe Iโ€™ve tried. The waffle comes out sweet with a buttery, malty, yeasty flavor, but not overly yeasty. The outside is crisp and sugary, but thereโ€™s a good chew to the interior, along with occasional crunchy sugar-filled bites.

Be forewarned that thereโ€™s a lot of non-active time with the recipe; this allows the flavors and texture to develop in the dough. I used pearl sugar but also tried it with sugar cubes crumbled in the food processor. Pearl sugar is best, but I wouldnโ€™t turn down a waffle made with sugar cubes, either. The directions say to mix the sugar in by hand, but I found it easier to knead the sugar into the dough.

I let my waffle iron heat up to 3/4 of the max heat setting and then measured the temperature with an infrared thermometer. I placed the dough oval in the middle and at 370ยฐF, the waffles cooked in two minutes. It seems like a lot of work for five waffles, but theyโ€™re rich and easily split into quarters for sharing. All the sugar and butter in the dough left a mess in my waffle iron, but a pastry brush and warm water (on the still-warm iron) cleaned it up.

You need quite a bit of lead time for several rounds of proofing, including overnight refrigeration, for this Belgian Liege waffles recipe. But all of the work and time are worth it when you get five absolutely beautiful waffles that are more like pieces of fine pastry than what we Americans typically call โ€œwaffles.โ€

I used a regular waffle iron and was able to get it to a temperature of 360ยฐF. The dough balls took five minutes to cookโ€“the iron was hot enough to create a beautifully caramelized sugar crust on the outside while cooking the waffle inside to a lovely โ€œbrioche-likeโ€ texture. I didnโ€™t have pearl sugar so I made my own by crushing sugar cubes with a meat mallet. My only complaint would be that some of the sugar melted and stuck to the waffle iron, making clean-up rather challenging. Perhaps by using actual sugar pearls, this would be less of an issue.




About Kimberley Lovato

Kimberley Lovato is a freelance writer based in San Francisco. Her work has appeared in Afar, National Geographic Traveler, Delta Sky Magazine, Easy Jet Traveller, Executive Travel, and in other print and online media, including Leiteโ€™s Culinaria. Her culinary travel book about the Dordogne region of France, Walnut Wine & Truffle Groves, has won two awards, and her essay, โ€œLost and Liberated,โ€ received a Solas Award from Travelersโ€™ Tales and will appear in Best Womenโ€™s Travel Writing 2012. You can read more of her work at kimberleylovato.com.


4.86 from 7 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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79 Comments

    1. Hi Joni, I would use a paddle or flat beater as specified. I have one with a flex edge that is perfect for scraping down the sides of the bowl.

    1. annie, the recipe came from the author of this article, whoโ€™s sampled all manner of liege waffles at home and in Belgium and has spent a lot of time in the kitchen tinkering with recipes until she came up with this one, which she feels reflects authentic Belgian waffles.

  1. Thanks, Kimberly, for the recipe. I own a waffle house in India. I got addicted to waffles while I was in the UK. I was so addicted that it led me quit my job after 5 years in investment banking to start an authentic waffle house in India. I currently serve the Liege waffle at our store but am not able to be as close to an authentic Liege waffle as Iโ€™d like. After loads of research I came up with your recipe. I have started the whole process and am in the final stage. My dough is sitting in the refrigerator overnight. Canโ€™t wait to try them. I live in a warm place. Very hot, in fact. So the first stage I reduced to 3 hours. Also I didnโ€™t have any machine so did all my mixing by hand initially. Do I actually need to buy a machine in future for mixing the way you have explained? We donโ€™t get pearl sugar here nor are allowed to import. I find this really stupid so whatโ€™s the alternative to pearl sugar. I have used normal all purpose baking flour and many other recipes also suggest bread flour but again this is difficult to find in my country. My final question is once I cut the dough into small balls for baking then how long will they stay before they over ferment? I mean, whatโ€™s the best way to store it as I cook waffles throughout the day in my store and it gets very hot in there with all the sunlight coming from the window. I have seen my waffles turn salty in the past and take on a sour taste. Is it best to keep my dough in the fridge throughout the day but can I cook it straight from fridge as my customers order them? Thanks a ton. I will be pleased if I get a positive reply for all my questions. I want to serve the best and the most authentic Belgian waffles in my country. ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Chetan, how lovely to hear from you and what lucky customers you have! Iโ€™m sorry to hear about the restrictions regarding importing pearl sugar, as itโ€™s a unique ingredient and Iโ€™m not certain there is a substitute that can approximate the crunchy lilt of sweetness it adds to these waffles. But if there is a substitute, Kimberly will know of it. Iโ€™ve forwarded your questions to her and am certain sheโ€™ll respond as soon as she can. (Sheโ€™s traveling this week but will be in touch.) Wishing you the best of luck.

    2. From NYT: To make your own pearl sugar, combine 1ยฝ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) water in a large saucepan and stir so the sugar clumps into small bits. Cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. The sugar should dry out but not caramelize. Pour the sugar onto a plate and let cool. Break up any large clumps with your fingers and sift through to collect 1 cup pea-size clumps, leaving smaller sugar granules behind. (Making the pearl sugar this way will produce more than required for the waffles, but the only way to get enough large clumps is to start with more sugar than you need.