WAFFLES FROM LIEGE (BELGIUM) - THE DESSERT WAFFLE STREET FOOD

INGREDIENTS:Makes 10 Waffles

•  1 tbsp granulated sugar
•  3 tsp active dry yeast
•  ½ cup whole milk warmed to 110ºF-115ºF 
•  ⅓ cup water warmed to 110ºF-115ºF 
•  4 Cups flour
•  2 Large eggs
•  4 Tbsp brown sugar
•  1½ tsp baking powder 
•  1½ tsp salt
•  1 cup butter (2sticks)
•  2 Tbsp honey
•  2 Tbsp pure vanilla
•  1½ cups Belgian Pearl sugar (“Lars Own”  or King Arthur Flour is the easiest to find in the USA)
••  (optional for cinnamon liege waffles) add 2-3 Tbsp ground cinnamon


DIRECTIONS:

COOKS NOTE** 
**Use a dough hook for all mixing

1. Mix warmed milk, warmed water, yeast, and 1 ½ cups of flour in a mixer for 3-5 minutes until
    contents have a pasty consistency. 

2. Let contents sit in mixer bowl for around 60 minutes. Will rise substantially in bowl.

3. Add the following ingredients to the top of mixture during the 60 minutes without mixing into
    contents (let them sit on top). Remaining 3 ½ cups of flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking
    powder, salt, butter, and eggs. 

4. After letting stand for 60 minutes add the vanilla and honey then mix entire contents together for
    around 5 min.

5. Let dough rise for 4 hours at room temperature.

6. After dough has risen for 4 hours, stir the dough down, let all the gases deflate. Then place dough
    into a cake pan or leave it in the mixing bowl and cover dough with butcher paper, or something
    similar. Next, weigh the dough down with plates and anything else that weighs a few pounds in your
    refrigerator and place dough in your refrigerator overnight.

7. The next day add the pearl sugar. It is easiest to kneed in by hand but can alsobe done with a dough
    hook in the mixer.

8. If cinnamon is wanted kneed in at this point. After pearl sugar has been added.

9. Separate the dough into 10 evenly sized balls.

10. Let dough balls sit with pearl sugar for 90 minutes before cooking.

11. If you have a liege waffle iron (cast iron) cook dough balls at 365ºF – 370ºF for 2 – 3 minutes or
      until golden brown with a caramelized outside.

      If you are using a regular waffle iron cook slightly hotter around 400ºF degrees then drop temp
      down to 300ºF after putting dough ball onto the hot iron so the pearl sugar doesn't burn. **
COOKS NOTE** 
     Cooking times and temperature settings may vary and may require a little trial and error with a
     regular waffle iron, but it can work even with a regular waffle iron.

     Let cool for about 2 minutes because the caramel sugar will be extremely hot.**
COOKS NOTE** 
     Be careful with hot sugar!  It is a pain you will not soon forget!