In the Kitchen: Liege Belgian Waffles with Pearl Sugar

In the kitchen this morning we welcome Shane Matlock, owner of Burgundian, making Liege Belgian Waffles with Pearl Sugar.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 teaspoon of Red Star yeast
• 1/4 cup of warm milk
• 1 1/2 cups of quality bread flour (not self rising)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• 2 teaspoons of honey
• 11 tablespoons of butter (room temperature)
• 3/4 cup of Belgian Pearl Sugar

Directions:

1. Using a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup of warm milk in the bowl, then add 1/2 cup of your flour and 1 egg. Mix to blend.
2. Cover the mixture completely 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 to activate the yeast. You’ll know it’s working when the mixed dough bubbles up through the flour.
3. Add the second egg, light brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and honey.
4. Affix the dough hook attachment, and mix on speed #1. After everything step 3 ingredients are incorporated, beginning adding butter, one tablespoon to the mixture. Do not add another tablespoon of butter until the previous has fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl periodically if necessary.
5. Continue mixing, scraping occasionally, until the dough again balls on the hook.
6. Scrape the dough into a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it rise at room temperature for 4 hours.
7. Punch down the dough.
8. Sprinkle half of the pearl sugar into the dough and begin mixing slowing with the dough hook. Once the pearl sugar is evenly spread, shrinking the other half of the pearl sugar and repeat.
9. Remove dough from the bowl and shape into a ball – our dough balls are approximately 135 grams, however, you can make them however you like. Let them set out, covered, for 60-90 minutes or until the dough ball rises.
10. If you have a professional waffle iron (meaning: it’s cast iron and weighs over 30 pounds) cook at exactly 365-375 degrees for approximately 3 minutes. If you have a regular home iron, it may take 4 minutes or longer, set at the highest temperature
11. As you cook, the sugar will start to collect in the bottom of the iron. Don’t let it go to waste. Take some of the waffles you’ve cooked first and put them back in to get more caramelized sugar on them.
12. Once you are done cooking, stick a piece of wax or parchment paper in the waffle iron and close the iron on the paper (the side of the iron that has melted pearl sugar should close onto the wax paper, as to drip off onto the paper). Do this for 20-30 seconds, open the iron and discard the paper.