Buttermilk and Brown Butter Waffles
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: 15 mins, plus waffle cooking time
Active: 15 mins
Makes: 8 (5-ounce) waffles
By Aida Mollenkamp
Whether you eat your waffles for breakfast or dessert, this tangy, nutty-flavored version is sure to please. Browning the butter adds fantastic depth of flavor.
Special equipment: We used this Belgian waffle maker, but any kind will do. Just be sure to follow the operating instructions that came with yours.
INGREDIENTS
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 6 large eggs
- 3 1/2 cups well-shaken low-fat buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Melted butter or canola oil, for brushing the griddle
- Maple syrup, for serving
- Plain yogurt, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Melt butter in a medium frying pan over medium-low heat and cook until it browns and emits a toasted smell (the butter should be golden brown but not burnt), about 5 minutes. Remove butter from the pan and let cool to room temperature.
- Whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside. Whisk together cooled brown butter, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until evenly combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and stir until dry ingredients are just moistened through.
- Heat the waffle iron to medium according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once heated, brush the iron with butter or oil, fill it with batter, close the lid, and cook until waffles are golden brown, about 4 minutes for Belgian style. Serve immediately with maple syrup and a dollop of plain yogurt.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
i have been to belgium and these are quite possibly the best waffles i have ever tasted. perfect. absolutely perfect.
To make these a little fluffier, try this old trick. Separate the egg yolks and whites. Put the yolks in with everything else as normal. When you get to the last stage when everything is incorporated, beat the egg whites until fluffy. Fold them into the batter. It makes an amazing difference!
i was so desperate for these a week ago, i made pancakes out of them at my aunts house when i couldn't find the waffle grill.
so good cold, too.
I am making these right now and they seem to be incredibly salty. No one else has had this problem? I followed the recipe exactly...
maillard: are you using kosher salt? all CHOW.com recipes use kosher salt and it is less salty than table salt. Use roughly 1/2 the amount of table salt to our kosher salt measurement.
I did use kosher salt and I was careful not to use salted butter either. I'm not sure what went wrong, but they were truly inedible. Sour and salty and just icky. I ended up throwing out the batter. I can accept that I likely just made some early-morning-sleepiness mistake, since it seems like other people like them a ton. But since I can't figure out what it might've been, I think I won't be trying these again! :)
maillard, did you use baking soda instead of baking powder?
Excellent! Best waffles I've ever made. I did beat the egg whites separately to soft peaks and fold them in at the end, and they were tender, fluffy and delicious.
Is Kosher salt really less "salty" than table salt, or is it that volume measurements yield less salt when you're using larger-grained salt?
I have been adding oatmeal to all my pancake and waffle batter lately for a very nice addition. reduce the flour by one cup add 3/4 - 1 cup of regular oatmeal in it's place. You'll hardly know that you are having whole grains.
Eeblet, it's the latter. The brand of kosher salt matters to a certain extent. 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 1-1/2 teaspoons Morton kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of table salt all have about the same amount of salt by weight.
How did I never think to brown the butter for waffles? This sounds fantastic. I have a yeast-raised waffle recipe that I absolutely adore, largely because you just mix everything together the night before and stick it in the fridge. It would be a cinch to do browned butter in that recipe.
Buttermilk seems to be an intricate ingredient. I have never made waffles from scratch. How does buttermilk affect the end product?
I'm going to try browned butter with the Marion Cunningham waffle recipe - it sounds like a great addition.
LadyintheKitchen, The buttermilk adds a tangy flavor and also get the baking powder to start making bubbles.
Made these today and they are freakin' amazing. Love the crispy texture and slightly nutty flavor...I used a fresh bottle of vanilla and that added another equally delicious element.