waffle collapse

[ciarabelle]

Hi there;

I just bought a waring pro waffle maker (the flip kind) after using it in several hotels and also reading all the positive reviews.

I made the waring yeast Belgium waffle recipe. At first glance, when you take them out of the waffle iron they are beautiful. but a min later they collapse... and are not longer crispy, and fluffy.. but flat.. its the strangest thing...

can you tell me how to fix the batter to make they stay fluffy and crisp? I cook an entire batch for freezing but unfortunately, these ones are all flat now :(

thanks
mary lou

[amyzan]

Here's the recipe I use quite frequently, makes eight waffles, but your iron's capactiy may vary.

1 pkg. (2 1/4 tsp.) active dry yeast
1/2. c. room temperature water
1 3/4 c. whole milk, at room temperature
2 c. all purpose flour (I use Ultragrain, or 1 c. unbleached + 1 c. white wheat or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. canola oil or melted, cooled butter
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp. baking soda
vegetable oil spray

I've successfully cut the fat down to 1 tbsp., but don't make it that way regularly, as they come out of the iron more easily with the added fat. You could even increase the fat to 8 tbsp. here, as that's what the original recipe stated. You can sub alternatives for whole milk, but try to use a product with some added fat, to maintain some balance in the water content.

Night before, sprinkle yeast and sugar over water and let stand ten minutes, or until yeast foams. Add the milk, flour, and salt, whisk well, then stir in fat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (You can alternatively let the batter stand up to six hours at room temperature for same day waffles.) Before cooking, whisk the eggs with the soda and then stir them into the batter. Heat the iron and spray or brush with oil. Ladle batter into iron, usually about 1/3 c. per waffle. Place cooked waffles on wire racks to cool if they aren't eaten fresh.

I hope this helps somewhat, ciarabelle.

[Cynsa]

I use that same waffle maker and cook the waffles longer for a crisper waffle.

I haven't tested this yeasted recipe, although I have kept it bookmarked:
2 1/2 C flour, 2 C warm water, 1/2 packet of yeast (regular or rapid). Mix together and let stand. When it's frothy, about 2 hours, beat an egg with 2 T oil and 1/4 C instant dry milk, and fold into the batter. Then, combine 1 t salt, 1 t baking soda, and 2T sugar, sprinkle evenly on the top of the batter and fold in. The soda will cause the batter to foam. Let it stand for a few minutes. Cook in a waffle iron at the highest heat, and let it re-heat between waffles. Don't overfill the iron. These freeze well, and then toast up nice and crisp.
Another one "we" might try: Mollie Katzen's Amazing Overnight Waffles

Tip - from a chowhound poster - butter - lots of it - is key for higher fat content:
1 cube of butter, melted,with 2 c flour, 2 c buttermilk, 2 eggs

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/357547

[coll]

What is in the recipe, so we can figure it out? I've never made Belgium waffles but never made a bad regular one either.

[ciarabelle]

Makes 10 waffles
1-1/2 cups water
2-1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (one packet)
3 cups sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, separated + 1 egg white
1/3 cup sugar
8 tablespoons unsalted butter - melted and cooled
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups whole milk

( i subbed skim for whole milk, and "i can't believe its not butter" light for butter)

[amyzan]

I believe the problem is likely in your substitutions. I'd suggest using canola oil in place of the butter, if it's cholesterol about which you're concerned. The ICBINB product, I suspect, has a higher water content than melted butter, and made your cooled waffles deflate. If you don't keep whole milk in the house, even a full fat soymilk would be a better sub for milk than skim. Skim, again, has more water content and less fat. Certainly you can make low fat waffles, but the chemistry of the ingredients will require further alteration if you want them to hold their shape. I'm sorry to say I don't have a low fat recipe, as I don't own a belgian waffle maker. I'm sure some resourceful hound will be able to help you, though.

[coll]

I agree, the butter and the milk (I use heavy cream myself) are sort of critical. If you're looking for health food, waffles aren't it.

[cinnamon girl]

Disagree. Yeast can raise flour with plain water and it will hold its shape. While it's not a freakish amount of yeast it's more than you need for 3 cups of flour. I don't know if the application is the same, but Shirley Corriher warns against too much bkg powder or soda in a recipe as it makes too many big bubbles which can't stay supported, they burst and deflate. But again, I don't know if this is also the case with yeast.

Also are they cooked enough? Did you try a couple browner than the others? Is the amount of yeast to facilitate a fast rise? Could you use less and let them rise overnight (like James Beard's recipe). And I agree with Coll that the butter and milk are there for flavour. Also real butter makes things crispy.

EDIT: Apologies Cynsa. I repeated some of your comments here before reading your post (was in a hurry to dash out). Great minds . . . :-)

[ciarabelle]

well i really cant tolerate that much saturated fat for just waffles... the batter was very very bubbly - and had an hour long rest... i really need a recipe for a smaller amount... i realize they aren't health food -- but all things in moderation...except i think that saturated fat is one of those 'out out out' foods. :) this recipe makes a whooping 12 or so waffles.. as for doneness - they are very golden brown - quite done.. and come out super crispy... they just fail to stay that way - deflate after a few min or the moment butter or syrup is introduced (again its icbinb.. i dont have any real butter in the house).
with all the egg whites etc it wasn't an easy recipe to try and split in 1/2 (i mean - 3+1 egg whites? fun)... time to google low fat waffles i suppose... i don't like the flavour of buttermilk... and i have tried mixes - ick..

[coll]

My recipe makes more than a dozen, maybe 15 or 20. Husband and I eat 2 each, then the rest get frozen and they are just as good reconstituted in the toaster oven and drowned in maple syrup. But again, I 'm talking regular waffles.....maybe Belgium are trickier. Also I don't do yeast, so what do I know? Just that I love waffles.

[cinnamon girl]

I still think the issue is with the yeast or egg whites. Especially since they're initially good but just don't stay that way. It's something to do with the leavening. Have you tried reheating or toasting one of the flat ones? Things with beaten whites will re-puff. You can actually re-puff a souffle many times. It just rises a tiny bit less each time till it doesn't anymore.

I don't think cream is necessary if you're worried about saturated fat. I've never thought to use cream in waffles or pancakes. I'm careful about butter consumption too; I keep it cut into sticks in the freezer and it use mostly for baking or when entertaining. What if you used a smaller amount of butter? Technically the difference between waffles and pancakes is the addition of fat. Come to think of it there would be nothing stopping you from using oil. I've seen recipes in the past with oil.

[amyzan]

But, it isn't necessary to use a SATURATED fat, ciarabelle. You can easily sub a monounsaturated, more health conscious fat by using canola oil. (Yes, less flavor than butter, but a yeast waffle should develop good flavor, just not buttery.)

You could use any number of liquids with healthy fats rather than the milk, too. Soy milk, almond or hazelnut or even oat milk would all be higher in fat than skim milk. If all you have is skim milk, try removing 1 tbsp. of the 1 1/2 c. milk called for in your recipe, since whole milk is about 3% butterfat. Add back in a tablespoon of monounsaturated fat like canola oil, to approximate the water/fat ratio of whole milk. (This is an additional tbsp. to the amount called for in the recipe.)

On the yield, I regularly make a recipe that makes eight waffles, we eat two, and I freeze six, separated by plastic wrap, in a bag with the air sucked out. They freeze and reheat very well.

[Karl S]

you cannot use a butter substitute - too much water.

Now, yeast-raised waffles are not as sturdy as baking soda waffles, but if cooked crisply they should not flatten as yours did.

The classic approach is the Fannie Farmer recipe (which is raised overnight in a warm place); Cook's Illustrated did an adjusted version (which is raised overnight in the fridge).

The FF vs CI ingredients:

A. The night before:
• 1/2 cup warm water (90-110F; too hot will kill the yeast) [CI omits]
• 1 package active dry yeast [CI uses 1.5 teaspoons instant/rapid rise yeast]
• 2 cups warm milk [CI uses 1.75 cups of any kind of milk and melts the butter below in it then cools somewhat before gradually adding to dry ingredients]
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar [CI uses 1 tablespoon]
• 2 cups (10 oz) all-purpose flour (dip-and-sweep method, not spoon method)

B. The morning of cooking [CI says it can be added the night before if you raise in the frig rather than the counter]:
• 2 large eggs, beaten [CI adds 1 teaspoon vanilla extract]
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (not baking powder) [CI says it’s unnecessary if you raise in the frig rather than the counter]

The Waring Pro measuring cup is 5 fl oz for each waffle.