Liège Waffles
Legend has it that Liège waffles were created at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Liège in the 18th century, by a cook who improvised a sweet dessert for his master, mixing chunks of sugar directly into brioche dough. Whatever the truth of the story, the Liège waffle remains distinct from the Brussels waffle, which is thinner and lighter, served with cream and fruit. Today Liège waffles are sold on every street corner in Belgium, warm, straight off the iron, and the partially melted, caramelised pearl sugar on the edges remains the mark of an authentic waffle.
Brioche-like dough, not batter
Unlike American waffles, Liège waffles start from a yeasted dough, thick like brioche, not a pourable batter.
Pearl sugar, the secret ingredient
Chunks of Belgian pearl sugar, kneaded right into the dough, caramelise on the hot iron and form the crunchy crust.
Pressed from a ball of dough
Each waffle starts as a compact ball of dough pressed into the hot iron, not poured like a liquid batter.
Eaten plain, from the hand
An authentic Liège waffle is eaten plain and warm, straight from the hand, no cream or syrup needed.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 500g flour
- 10g fresh yeast
- 150ml lukewarm milk
- 2 eggs
- 200g soft butter
- 50g sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 150g Belgian pearl sugar
How to make it
- 1Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm milk and let it stand until foamy.
- 2Mix the flour, salt, sugar, and eggs, then add the yeast mixture to form a soft dough.
- 3Knead in the soft butter a little at a time until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- 4Cover and let the dough rise in a warm place for about an hour, until doubled in size.
- 5Gently fold in the pearl sugar, without crushing the pieces.
- 6Divide the dough into balls and press each one into a hot waffle iron.
- 7Cook until deep golden and the sugar caramelises on the outside, then serve warm.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
