Overnight Yeast Waffles
I always love to cook up something special for breakfast on Christmas morning. But I love my sleep even more, so I tend to prepare my favorite breakfast recipes the night before rather than the day of. I often joke that sleeping is my superpower (I can sleep anywhere and I can sleep a lot); the probability that I’ll wake up early enough to cook breakfast for everyone else is pretty slim. Accordingly, the batter for these yeast waffles must be made the night before so that the the batter can rise overnight. In the morning, simply plug in the waffle maker, stir the sugar and baking soda into the batter, and soon enough you’ll have a platter full of crispy waffles.
White rice flour (which is readily available at grocery stores) adds a crispy crust to the surface of the waffles, while the yeast causes them to become airier than traditional waffles. To make chocolate chip waffles (which all chocolate lovers should do, in my opinion), add ~ 1½ cups of the batter to the waffle iron, sprinkle with chocolate chips (~⅓ cup for a 9”x9” waffle), and finally top it all off with enough batter to partially cover the chocolate chips. Both mini and regular chocolate chips work well (I’ve tried both), but I think I prefer the mini chips because they melt better. My absolute favorite is shards of chopped bittersweet chocolate, but I don’t recommend using them unless you have enough extra time to really clean your waffle iron as the chocolate shards stick. Don’t misinterpret me, I always clean my waffle iron before putting it away… but a quick wet paper towel wipe down is usually sufficient.
My waffle iron makes four waffles at a time, and its overall measurements are 9”x9”. My recipe includes two quantities, one for ~12-13 waffle quarters (4½”x4½” each), or one for ~6 waffle quarters. I prefer instant yeast, but I have also included an alternative recipe (scroll down) for those of you who plan on using active dry yeast. See note here on instant yeast versus active dry yeast.
I store leftover batter mix in a large pyrex measuring cup covered with plastic wrap. It makes beautiful waffles the following morning.
Overnight Crispy Yeast Waffles (Using Instant Yeast)
Makes twelve 4.5”x4.5” Waffles
1¾ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour - 8.0 ounces - see tip on accurately measuring flour here
1½ cups white rice flour - 7.5 ounces
3 tablespoons fine yellow cornmeal - 1 ounce
⅓ cup almond flour - 1.125 ounces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons instant yeast (keep scrolling down if using active dry yeast )
10 tablespoons butter - 5 ounces
2½ cups whole milk - 20 ounces
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
And then the next morning:
½ cup sugar - 3.5 ounces
1 teaspoon baking soda
The night before serving:
Combine flour, rice flour, almond flour, cornmeal, salt, and instant yeast in a large bowl. Melt the butter. Off the heat whisk milk into the butter, followed by the beaten eggs. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. It will be a bit lumpy, but don’t worry—the lumps will be gone by morning. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.
The next morning:
Heat up your waffle iron. Personally, I set mine to medium high heat because I like my waffles to be very brown and crispy, but adjust your own iron to your desired level.
Add the sugar and baking soda to your waffle batter (NOTE: the surface of the risen batter will be quite textured), and gently stir with a rubber spatula until combined. The batter will have separated a bit overnight, and as a result will be more liquid at the bottom; stir until the batter is consistent, but don’t stir too much.
When the waffle iron is preheated, use a silicone brush to grease it. I like to put a teaspoon of coconut oil on the hot iron, then brush it as it melts in order to cover the entire surface (top and bottom). Any kind of oil will do. Using a ladle or a bowl with a spout, pour the batter onto the hot iron until it is fully covered. My 9”x9” waffle iron withstands ~ 1¾ cups of batter for each batch. Serve hot with butter and syrup, or cut into sticks for dunking in syrup.
Overnight Crispy Yeast Waffles (Using Instant Yeast)
Makes six 4.5” Waffle Quarters
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour - 4.0 ounces - see tip on accurately measuring flour here
¾ cup white rice flour - 3.75 ounces
1½ tablespoons fine yellow cornmeal - .5 ounce
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons almond flour - .56 ounces
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast (scroll down for active dry yeast)
5 tablespoons butter - 2.5 ounces
1¼ cups whole milk - 10 ounces
1 large egg, lightly beaten
And then the next morning:
¼ cup sugar - 1.75 ounces
½ teaspoon baking soda
The night before serving:
Combine flour, rice flour, almond flour, cornmeal, salt, and instant yeast in a large bowl. Melt the butter. Off the heat whisk milk into the butter, followed by the beaten egg. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. It will be a bit lumpy, but don’t worry—the lumps will be gone by morning. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.
The next morning:
Heat up your waffle iron. Personally, I set mine to medium high heat because I like my waffles to be very brown and crispy, but adjust your own iron to your desired level.
Add the sugar and baking soda to your waffle batter (NOTE: the surface of the risen batter will be quite textured), and gently stir with a rubber spatula until combined. The batter will have separated a bit overnight, and as a result will be more liquid at the bottom; stir until the batter is consistent, but don’t stir too much.
When the waffle iron is preheated, use a silicone brush to grease it. I like to put a teaspoon of coconut oil on the hot iron, then brush it as it melts in order to cover the entire surface (top and bottom). Any kind of oil will do. Using a ladle or a bowl with a spout, pour the batter onto the hot iron until it is fully covered. My 9”x9” waffle iron withstands ~ 1¾ cups of batter for each batch. Serve hot with butter and syrup, or cut into sticks for dunking in syrup.
Overnight Crispy Yeast Waffles (Using Active Dry Yeast)
Makes twelve 4.5” Waffle Quarters
1¾ cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour - 8.0 ounces - see tip on accurately measuring flour here
1 ½ cups white rice flour - 7.5 ounces
3 tablespoons fine yellow cornmeal - 1 ounce
⅓ cup almond flour - 1.125 ounces
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 package active dry yeast - ¼ ounce
1 teaspoon sugar
10 tablespoons butter - 5 ounces
2½ cups whole milk - 20 ounces
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
And then the next morning:
½ cup sugar - 3.5 ounces
1 teaspoon baking soda
The night before serving:
Combine flour, rice flour, almond flour, cornmeal, and salt in a large bowl. In a small pan, heat ½ cup of milk to ~100°F-110°F (do not exceed 110°F). Pour into a small container and stir in 1 teaspoon sugar. Sprinkle and stir in the package of yeast. Allow 5-10 minutes for it to get frothy. Wipe clean the small pan, then melt butter. Off the heat whisk the milk into the butter, followed by the beaten eggs. Whisk the wet ingredients along with the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined. It will be a bit lumpy, but don’t worry—the lumps will be gone by morning. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.
The next morning:
Heat up your waffle iron. Personally, I set mine to medium high heat because I like my waffles to be very brown and crispy, but adjust your own iron to your desired level.
Add the ½ cup sugar and baking soda to your waffle batter (NOTE: the surface of the risen batter will be quite textured), and gently stir with a rubber spatula until combined. The batter will have separated a bit overnight, and as a result will be more liquid at the bottom; stir until the batter is consistent, but don’t stir too much.
When the waffle iron is preheated, use a silicone brush to grease it. I like to put a teaspoon of coconut oil on the hot iron, then brush it as it melts in order to cover the entire surface (top and bottom). Any kind of oil will do. Using a ladle or a bowl with a spout, pour the batter onto the hot iron until it is fully covered. My 9”x9” waffle iron withstands ~ 1¾ cups of batter for each batch. Serve hot with butter and syrup, or cut into sticks for dunking in syrup.
