Belgian Waffle

After trying a number of waffle recipes, I am still not satisfied. They are all a bit dense and not like the store bought ones that are light, crispy and fluffy. Finally I came across this recipe from Allrecipes.com. It has yeast in it to help produce the light and fluffy texture. It is super simple to make with all simple ingredients ready in the kitchen. You don't have to whip egg whites or use the folding method.
Again, I modified the original recipe a bit to make it more healthy but still delicious. I substitute butter with olive oil. Instead of using all of the unbleached all purpose flour that the recipe calls for, I replace 1/3 with whole wheat. And I add cinnamon and semisweet chocolate chips to satisfy the chocoholics in the family. Add blueberries to the final batter for an even more healthier version. They do great in the freezer. Just pop it to the toaster for a quick breakfast.

Make 10-12 waffles, depends on the size of the iron

2 cups milk
7g /1 tsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup luke warm water
1/2 cup vegetable or olive oil
6g/1 tsp salt
4g/1 tsp sugar
200g/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
175g/1 1/3 cups whole wheat

2 eggs
2g/1/2 tsp baking soda

1)  Heat up the milk in a pot until it bubbles. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
2)  Dissolve the yeast in the warm water.
3)  In a large bowl, put in the milk and yeast water. Whisk in the flour, sugar and salt until blended.
4)  Slowly whisk in the oil until combined and smooth.
5)  Cover with a plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight.

this is the overnight batter, lots of bubbles mean the yeast is doing its job !

6)  Next morning, slightly beat the eggs and add to the batter. Mix well with a whisk. Add the baking soda and mix thoroughly.
7)  Optional: add 1 tbsp cinnamon powder and mix in.
8)  Preheat the waffle iron. Spoon enough batter on it. Optional: sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly on the batter. Cook according to the directions on the waffle maker. Usually it is done when there is no more steam coming out.

put chocolate chips evenly on the batter

9)  Serve warm with optional toppings like powdered sugar, maple syrup or whipped cream.

Notes:
1)  The batter has enough oil. Therefore, there is no need to spray more onto the waffle iron. However, if your waffles stick, then do spray some.
2)  I tried substituting the milk with water. However, it did not taste as good as milk.
3)  Put a few tablespoon of ground flaxseed or wheat germ to the final batter to increase the nutrition value.
4)  If all purpose flour is preferred, use 375g.
5)  Do not overfill the iron. It will spill and make a mess.