Belgian sugar waffle @ home

After the epiphanic discovery of the Belgian sugar waffle at Mr. Crepe in Davis Square, I realized three things:

a) I needed to eat more of them
b) I might not get another opportunity to do so
c) I'd better find a recipe and learn how to make my own.

The authentic Liège waffle is made with a yeast dough, which means it needs at least an hour to rise, which would require me rising an hour earlier to start breakfast. Um, no.

There are a lot of recipes out there, but as I'm not a seasoned baker (thanks, crappy oven!), I wanted to find something that specifically called for an overnight proofing session, rather than guessing whether it would work.

So I went with this one (ignore the terrible page layout).

The key to making real proper Belgian sugar waffles is the secret ingredient: pearl sugar. It's essentially regular sugar pressed into larger chunks, so it doesn't melt and burn under high heat. It's also hard to find: IKEA carries it, as do some online stores.

But that didn't help me: I needed it nownownow!!

So I improvised with crystallized sugar coffee sticks that had been in the back of the cupboard for years. Once I'd collected the sugar, bashed it with a rolling pin and mixed it into the dough, I figured it would work pretty well.



As you can see, the dough is sticky, which made dividing it into single-serve portions a challenge. I quickly realized it was better to go with small dollops so they didn't ooze out of the waffle iron.







So, okay, not as pretty as the Belgian sugar waffles at Mr. Crepe. And I underestimated the Big Sugar quantity, so there weren't quite enough nuggets of sweet crunchiness.

But overall, not bad for a first attempt. And the recipe yielded 12 waffles, which meant enough left over to freeze for subsequent breakfasts.

Just need to find me some real pearl sugar ...

Belgian sugar waffle @ Mr Crepe

When I posted about the deep-fried cupcake from Kickass recently, I compared it to the Belgian sugar waffle from Mr. Crepe.

A confession: I had no idea what I was talking about.

That is, I hadn't tried the Belgian sugar waffle from Mr. Crepe. And I assumed I probably wouldn't have the chance to do so, given that the Chowhound thread on the subject suggested they were rare (delicious) birds.

This morning, feeling both pancakey and lazy, we went into Davis Square for breakfast. Mr. Crepe was open and quiet for a change. I was about to order something chocolate-and-banana-related when I saw a chalkboard that had a drawing of a happy waffle sporting a jaunty green scarf and the words "Belgian sugar waffles are now available!"

"Um ... are Belgian sugar waffles available?" I asked.

"Not right now," said the guy behind the counter. My heart sank.

"I need to defrost and cook some; it'll take about a half-hour."

Only thirty minutes between me and the legendary waffle? I could wait.

So we ordered coffee and smoothies, and The Boy got a ham-egg-Brie crepe, and we sat in the window and watched Davis Square wake up.

And then it came.



Fresh from the iron.



Glistening with sugar.



It was steaming and caramel-fragrant.

It was like warm, sweet bread.

It was like a freshly frosted, dense donut.

It was heavenly.

But aaagh! Who knows when I'll get another? What are the chances of being near Mr. Crepe when the Belgian sugar waffles are ready (or when I'm just hungry enough to wait)?

I guess I could always make my own ...