Yeasted Overnight Waffles

As you've probably noticed from my Menu Plan Monday posts, we have Brinner on Monday nights. Growing up, my mom would often make waffles for dinner or eggs and bacon, especially on nights where my dad was working and it was just the two of us. There's something especially comforting about having breakfast for dinner. It's the epitome of comfort food in my opinion. It's quite possibly Husband's favorite day of the week because he loves brinner so much.

On occasion, I get a wild hair that causes me to try a new recipe for brinner, but more often than not, I come right back to the recipes I know and love. This was one of those times. It's not that we disliked the recipe, it just didn't taste any different than the regular waffles that I make. And while having the batter all ready to go was kind of handy, it only takes a few moments to put the batter together in the first place, so I think I'll stick with my regular recipe for waffles.

Overnight Yeasted Waffles

adapted from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Printer-friendly recipe

1 3/4 cups whole milk

8 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp instant yeast (but not dry active yeast)

1 tsp salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Heat the milk and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter is melted, about 4 minutes, then let cool off the heat until just slightly warm. Whisk together the flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl, then gradually whisk in the warm milk until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let refrigerate for at least 12 and up to 24 hours.

2. Heat the waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. When the waffle iron is hot, remove the batter from the refrigerator (the batter will be foamy and doubled in size) and whisk to recombine and deflate. Spread the appropriate amount of bater onto the waffle iron and cook until golden brown, about 3 1/2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter, serving the waffles immediately or holding them in a 200-degree oven until all are cooked. You can place the waffles on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and cover them with a kitchen towel, in a 200-degree oven to keep them warm. When the final waffle is in the iron, remove the towel and allow the waffles to crisp for a few minutes.

** NOTE: Do not substitute lowfat or skim milk in this recipe - it will not work!