Did you know that traditional Belgian waffles are made with yeast? They are not like the ones you get at your local diner or the breakfast line at your favorite hotel. They are crisp, airy, buttery, and full of amazing flavor. But, the best part is you make the batter in the evening and cook the waffles in the morning.

My take on these yummy confections was inspired by Cooks Illustrated. I prefer my batter a little thinner and like to use white whole wheat flour. You simply mix all the ingredients together the night before and cook in your waffle iron the next morning. That makes this a favorite for busy weekdays or lazy Sunday mornings. You can even make a large batch to keep in your freezer and toss in the toaster to warm up next week. Move over eggo- there’s a new waffle in town!

Overnight Belgian Waffles (Yeast Waffles)

2 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons  instant or rapid rise yeast (from one packet, you will not use the entire packet.)

2 Cups Milk

6 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Cooking spray

Batter Directions (The night before you want to make the waffles)

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, and yeast) in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients (milk, melted butter, vanilla, and eggs) into the dry ingredients. Use a whisk to mix the batter until no lumps appear. You want the batter to be thick and smooth. Place the batter in a container with a lid that is about double the size of the batter. The yeast will cause the batter to rise and you want to leave plenty of room or it will seep out the edges and make a mess in your refrigerator. Let the batter rise in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours.

Cooking Directions

The next morning, remove the batter from the refrigerator and heat up a waffle iron according to you manufacturers instructions. When the iron is hot, spray it top and bottom with a little cooking spray. (This will keep the waffles from sticking to the waffle iron.) Stir the batter gently. (It will loose a little volume as you stir. That is okay.) Use a ladle to pour the batter into the center of the waffle iron **See Notes**and cook 3-5 minutes until it golden brown and crispy. Remove the waffle from the waffle iron, spray with cooking spray and repeat until all the batter is used.

**Notes** Waffle irons differ in size, so I am not going to give you a specific amount to pour into the heated iron. I will warn you that the batter expands A LOT, so start with less than you think you need. If the cooked waffle is small then add more batter for the second waffle. This recipe make 4 large (4 square) waffles. If you want to make these ahead, cook the waffles until crisp, but not golden brown. Allow the waffles to cool and then freeze for up to 1 month. Put the frozen waffles directly into a toaster and reheat allowing them to brown in the toaster.