Classic Waffle Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making good waffles? ›

Belgian waffles are usually thicker than their American counterparts. These Belgian beauties are made with a recipe that includes yeasted batter and crunchy pearl sugar. Belgian waffles have extra-deep pockets—the better for filling with butter, jam, maple syrup, or whipped cream.

Medieval origins

In ancient times the Greeks cooked flat cakes, called obelios, between hot metal plates. As they were spread throughout medieval Europe, the cake mix, a mixture of flour, water or milk, and often eggs, became known as wafers and were also cooked over an open fire between iron plates with long handles.

Recommended overnight or 2 hr resting – for the tastiest waffles, rest the batter overnight in the fridge or for at least 2 hours. This makes the flour grains absorb the liquid so it makes the inside of the waffles softer.

Buttermilk – Much like pancake batter, buttermilk reacts with baking soda to create a wonderful rise, creating ultra-fluffy waffles. A little extra baking powder is included to ensure supreme lift. If you don't have buttermilk, see the note above in the Ingredients section about how to make a substitute.

While regular old waffles are made from a typical pancake-like batter, Belgian waffles are made from a brioche dough. The secret ingredient in Belgian waffles is the pearl sugar, which gives the waffles a unique texture and slight, satisfying crunch.

Best Overall

The Cuisinart WAF-200 is a classic and reliable waffle maker that rightfully cemented itself as our top pick after testing. Its six separate heat settings are actually all useful: The lowest made soft but fully cooked waffles, and the highest gave us crispy crusted, browned-but-not-burnt ones.

If you don't have a Belgian waffle maker, you can use a regular waffle maker. It likely won't create the larger, thicker, deeper grooves, but you may still end up with fluffier waffles. Keep in mind that the time it takes to make Belgian waffles may vary depending on serving size.

A waffle iron squeezes batter between two hot, flat pans covered with square bumps. The square bumps give the waffle little square holes, perfect for holding syrup and melted butter.

The waffle in Old Greece was a fundamental variant of flat cakes, which were produced by baking the cakes between two metal plates. Obelios, as these cakes were called, weren't especially sweet, but their design developed over time as people started customizing the food.

Why are waffles better than pancakes? ›

Waffles are crispy and firm, allowing them to act in a complementary way to other foods, enhancing both flavor and delivery method. Pancakes on the other hand are light and fluffy, but also soft and brittle, and so their applications as a vessel or enhancement for other foods are very limited.

Waffeln / German Waffles

German waffles are typically heart-shaped and much thinner than Belgian waffles. The batter has more sugar than other waffle types which makes them incredibly delicious on their own.

The ingredients for both regular waffles and Belgian waffles are similar and include flour, milk, eggs, and butter or oil. However, Belgian waffles use egg whites to give a fluffier texture. Additionally, Belgian waffles have yeast in their recipe while regular waffles use baking powder.

Pancakes and waffles typically both contain baking soda, which causes them to rise. As soon as the baking soda is combined with the wet ingredients (which contain an acidic ingredient, like often buttermilk), it starts producing carbon dioxide gas bubbles that cause the batter to rise.