"...and in the morning, I'm making waffles!" Yeasty waffles, at that.

Ahhh Shrek... a movie franchise that has lived long past it's prime (in my honest and humble opinion). But the first one is a classic. I'm pretty sure I'll be pulling out the "not the gumdrop buttons" line out closer to Christmas.

Yeast waffles. I had never had them, nor do I think I knew anything about them up until a couple months ago. I read a blurb somewhere that Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream at the North Market would no longer be making their yeast waffles by the end of August, but they were posting the beloved recipe online. Now, if you've never had any of Jeni's Ice Cream concoctions, they are amazingly and sinfully divine, so I figured that these yeast waffles must therefore also be amazing since it is something they made and sold. Have I mentioned that I got an "A" in my college Logic class? While true, I should probably disclose that our teacher gave us the exam questions before the exam. ; ) But I digress.

I've had this recipe set aside to make since I read the post, but because they require making the batter the night before, it's just not happened. Until last night. And if you're a planner, these waffles are so up your alley. Who doesn't like breakfast being a warm waffle iron away first thing in the morning? Here's how to do it... (recipe can be found below)

Melt a stick of butter over med. low heat with 1 3/4 c. milk.

Whisk together dry ingredients. Take a drink of Carmel Machiatto. Pray that the barista made it with decaf espresso (which sadly, mine did not or I don't think I would've still been up at 3:30 a.m. this morning.)

After the butter has melted into the warm milk, turn off the heat and let cool to just warm. If the milk is too warm, the yeast will die. If it's too cold, it won't activate. I used a thermometer to ensure my milk was about 114 degrees. I'm anal like that.

Whisk together eggs and vanilla. (Thanks for the yummy vanilla from Mexico, Dad!)

Slowly add the warm milk mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Then add the egg/vanilla mixture.

I then realized that my 4 c. batter bowl would not allow for any sort of yeast-induced rising (again with that logic class), so I upgraded to the 8 c. batter bowl. When I stuck it in the fridge, it was just under 4 c. of batter.

Here it is after an overnight in the fridge.

It deflated quite a bit after a quick stir.

About 1/2 c. of batter in our waffle maker was perfect.

Why doesn't the first one ever look as good as the rest?

They were a hit with the girls. Nate could have taken or left them... He likes a waffle with a little more sweetness than these offered. I thought they were crispy and a nice change of pace from the traditional waffle fare. (As a side note, after baths last night, the girls wanted to wear their daddy's t-shirts to bed. I know I'm biased, but I think they look adorable.)

My big girl got a little whipped cream on her plate cause it was Sunday and she's cute. N could have, but chose not to. Crazy girl. ;) 

Jeni's Saturday Morning Waffles

Made 8 Waffles

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup milk

8 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

1 1/2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

• Heat milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter is melted, 3 to 5 minutes
• Cool milk/butter mixture until warm to touch (80-105 degrees F, or thereabouts); if it's hot on a finger, it's too hot)
• Meanwhile, whisk flour, sugar, salt and yeast in large bowl to combine; always refer to the yeast package for the specific temperature info, etc.; instant yeast does not need to be proofed in hot liquid; still, if the milk is too hot when mixed in the yeast will die; letting the batter raise overnight in the fridge controls the rate of rise while allowing flavor to build.
• Gradually whisk warm milk/butter mixture into flour mixture; continue to whisk until batter is smooth.
• In a small bowl, whisk eggs and vanilla until combined, then add egg mixture to batter and whisk until incorporated; crape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 12 and up to 24 hours.
• Following manufacturer's instructions, heat waffle iron
• Remove waffle batter from refrigerator when waffle iron is hot (batter will be foamy and double in size)
• Whisk batter to recombine (batter will deflate)
• Bake waffles according to manufacturer's instructions (use about 1/2 cup for a 7" round iron or about 1 cup for a 9" square iron), for 4 minutes
• Serve immediately, or keep warm on a single-layer baking rack in a 200-degree oven

Source: saltycaramel.com