The Awful Waffle and Liege Waffles - With Recipes

We have really been into waffles lately.  This yummy concoction comes 

from a little hole in the wall place called

The Awful Waffle.

Don't let that name fool you, the Awful Waffle just on the south end

of BYU campus in Provo, Utah is unbelievable.  

This waffle is not only beautiful, it is tasty. This one is their regular waffle (with a 

slight amount of cinnamon in it) served with

a cream cheese frosting type topping and fresh raspberries.  Hubby created

this one (the waffles come for about $2.50 without toppings and 

you create your own by adding toppings - $.85 for all of those

luscious ripe raspberries and another $.85 for the topping.)

I chose their Liege waffle with nutella and strawberries.  I have to say

that hubby beat me out by a mile.  The combination of the cream

cheese topping and the raspberries was out of this world.

I love all of the little whole in the wall places that serve great

food around a university campus and this qualifies as one of them.

Then my friend Katie talked me into going to Salt Lake City to try

her favorite waffle stand - Bruges Waffles.

They specialize in Liege waffles (pronounced - lee-age - with  a

soft g and the accent on the age.) 

Definitely another hole in the wall, but more upscale.

We were so anxious to try them that this was the only picture I got

of three different kinds.  This one was filled with dark 

Belgian chocolate.

Liege waffles can be eaten plain or Bruges serves them with other options.

We also had a plain one and one with fresh strawberries and vanilla bean 

ice cream.  I think that was the favorite because it went first!

 I told Katie that I had a recipe

for Liege waffles that I have made and loved that was given to

me by my friend Paula.  Paula and her husband Craig had invited

us over for Liege waffles after they had spent time in Belgium.

The secret to Liege waffles, besides being a yeast waffle is that you

have little surprise pearls of sugar 

inside the warm moist waffles that

are melted where they meet up with the waffle iron but

still crunchy on the inside.  

We left the Bruges restaurant and went around the corner to 

Sur La Table to buy the sugar pearls, because that was where I had

bought them before, but they no longer sell them 

  Too bad because online they are double

the price I had paid.

You can buy them online (the imported Lars brand)

if you don't have a place you can buy them. 

I had some in my food storage, so I gave Katie

a box so she could try making her favorite waffle at home. 

 If you don't want to use pearl sugar you can crush sugar cubes, 

but I prefer the pearl sugar's texture (but maybe with the

price increase, I will go back to sugar cubes once I use

up the few boxes I have left.

The Lars box has a recipe on the back but I haven't tried it. 

The Liege Waffles I have made come from a recipe my

friend Paula gave me.

Sugar Waffles from Liege

(The recipe was a photocopy and appears to be from

a book entitled Waffles, Pancakes and Breads.)

Batter 1:

1 T. instant yeast

1/4 C. warm water

1 C. all purpose flour

1 T. granulated sugar

1 large egg, beaten

1/3 C. milk, warmed to 100 degrees F

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water with 1 T. 

of the flour and sugar.  Let stand for 5 minutes until foamy.  

Place the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and add the yeast

mixture.  Mix well until smooth.  Cover and let rise until doubled.

Meanwhile prepare Batter 2.

Batter 2:

9 T. unsalted butter at room temperature

6 T. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional) We made ours without.

pinch of salt

1 T. granulated sugar

1/2 C. pearl sugar or 3/4 C. crushed sugar cubes

In a medium bowl mix the butter, flour, salt, vanilla,baking

powder, cinnamon (if using), granulated sugar and pearl sugar into a paste.

With your hands work Batter 2 into Batter 1 until well mixed.

Shape the dough into 10 balls.  Flatten each ball and dust lightly with

flour.  

Heat your Belgian waffle iron to medium hot.  Don't let it

become too hot or the sugar will burn.  Bake until the waffles are

golden brown but still slightly soft, 3-4 minutes.  Serve them warm.

Definitely worth trying.  They are so yummy with the taste

of yeast and sugar and the crunch of the sugar pearls.  Be

careful if you eat them hot out of the oven as the sugar can

burn you.

Lars Belgian Sugar Waffles

(taken from the back of their box - this obviously makes more.)

3 1/2 C. flour

1 packet dry yeast

3/4 C. lukewarm milk

8 oz. softened butter (2 sticks)

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

cinnamon (optional) (no amount given)

1- 8 oz. bag Lar's Own Belgian Pearl Sugar

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm milk.  Gradually add all

ingredients to the flour except the pearl sugar.  Let the

dough rise until it doubles in size (about 30 minutes).

Add Belgian Pearl Sugar.  Divide dough into small

patties about 3 to 4 oz. each.  Baked in heated and

greased waffle iron.

I am not a breakfast person, but I LOVE

breakfast foods.  Try these any time of day.  We love

breakfast for dinner too.