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Thursdays in the Kitchen: Anti-Keto Liège Waffles

Thursdays in the Kitchen: Anti-Keto Liège Waffles

Yep, this is pretty much everything you want to avoid if you’re striving to follow a keto regimen. But every now and then, you’ve got to say WTF! and give yourself a reward day (not a cheat day; that’s the wrong psychology).

This. Is. It. 

Waffles the way they were meant to be. Waffles with the light texture of a fresh-fried donut. Loaded with sugar, carbs, gluten and—if you’re good to yourself—enough fat to remind your body there’s still hope. These aren’t mix & cook. There is a detailed recipe based on a centuries-old French formulation (request in the comments), it takes time & specific ingredients, and it rewards precision. It also helps to have a true waffle iron with heavy plates. Small squares or Belgian style both work, but the latter have some extra visual appeal. 

Want to try a full-on coma? Top one with salted caramel gelato. Your heirs will thank me. 

2 comments
- Greg Hammond

All credit to Gaufre de Liège Recette for the history and the recipe. https://liegewaffle.wordpress.com/liege-waffle-recipe-liege-gaufre-recette/

Here you go:

INGREDIENTS
3/4 teaspoon of instant yeast
1/4 cup of warm water at 105°F-110°F
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 eggs (warmed for several minutes in hot tap water)
2 Tablespoons of packed light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 teaspoons of honey
11 Tablespoons of butter (slightly cooler than room temperature)
3/4 cup of pearl sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of warm water and allow it to stand for several minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of your flour and 1 egg. Mix to blend.

2. Cover the mixture with the remaining 1 cup of flour, but do not stir. Then cover the bowl in plastic wrap, and let it stand for 60 minutes (by which time the wet batter will be bubbling up through the flour).

3. Add the second egg, light brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and honey.

4. Affix the paddle attachment, and mix on speed #1 (the “stir” setting) — scraping every few minutes — until the dough forms a ball on the paddle. This should take about 15-20 minutes.

5. Begin adding the butter, a tablespoon at a time, over the next 5-7 minutes, scraping the bowl every couple minutes.

6. Once all the butter is completely added, continue mixing, scraping occasionally, until the dough again balls on the paddle. This should only take 2-6 minutes.

7. Scrape the dough into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature for 4 hours. Then put it into the refrigerator to rest overnight.

8. The next day, take the bowl of cold dough straight from the fridge and add all of the pearl sugar. It will seem like a lot of sugar, but it’s supposed to be 🙂 Mix it into the dough, by hand, until the chunks are well-distributed. Once mixed, divide the dough into 6 pieces of equal size.

9. Shape each piece into an oval ball (like a football without the pointy ends) and let it rise (covered loosely in plastic wrap) for 90 minutes.

10. If you have a professional waffle iron (meaning: it’s cast iron and weighs over 30 pounds) cook at exactly 355-360 degrees for approximately 2 minutes. If you have a regular home iron, it may take 4 minutes or longer.

- Jason Philibert

Recipe please.

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