WAFFLES WITH BEER

Makes about 7 large waffles

I found this recipe for thick beer waffles in a 16th-century handwritten manuscript from Ghent. Its title says ‘To make thick waffles you do not split’, showing that some waffles were split and doused in butter, while these were left whole, though often also doused in butter. Beer gives an interesting flavour note to the waffle. In that period there were two kinds of beer in the region of Ghent: small beer and double beer with names like crabbelaer and clauwaert, the latter containing more alcohol. They were flavoured with gruit, a mixture of herbs that varied. Common herbs include sweet gale, yarrow, mugwort, horehound, ground ivy and common heather, but spices were also added if they could be obtained. A beer with spice notes, or a low-alcohol table beer would be perfect.

Ingredients

175g unsalted butter, melted

115ml table beer (low-alcohol beer) or beer with spice notes

250g plain flour

25g icing sugar

8g instant dry yeast

1 egg yolk

150g pearl sugar, covered in a light coating of vegetable oil to prevent the sugar from taking moisture from the batter

Oil or lard, for greasing (if you don’t have a non-stick waffle iron)

Butter and sugar, to serve (optional)

Equipment:

Waffle iron with a plain waffle iron plate

Method

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the beer, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool until tepid.

Combine the flour, icing sugar and yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolk followed by half the butter mixture. Mix until completely incorporated, then pour in the remaining butter mixture and mix well. Cover the bowl and set aside to rest for half a day.

Fold in the pearl sugar and divide the batter into seven portions. The mixture will be the consistency of thick cake batter.

Preheat the waffle iron. Use a brush to grease the heated iron with oil or lard, if using.

Spoon batter onto the waffle plate and close. Bake until golden brown (how long this takes depends on your iron, so check from time to time).

Serve warm with sweet butter if you like (but I find the waffles sweet enough without it). For the sweet butter, simply melt equal quantities of butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved.

Keep leftover waffles in an airtight container. Waffles may be easily reheated in a hot waffle iron or simply in a toaster.

Recipe from Dark Rye and Honey Cake by Regula Ysewijn (Murdoch Books)