Yeasted Brown Butter Waffles

I’d like to think that I’m pretty organized when it comes to kitchen equipment and gadgets. I’m blessed with a large basement, and I’ve installed four large shelving units to hold items that are not used often – like tortilla presses, raclette grills, random bakeware, and so forth.

But the other day when I got my ebleskiver pan out of my pantry, mind you, not from the basement, I noticed it was right next to a mini waffle pan. For the life of me, I do not remember if I purchased this thing or it was a gift. And how I hadn’t noticed it for years since I organized my pantry, is beyond me. One side of my pantry is food, the other side is a wall of pots and pans, inspired by the way Julia Child would hang her pots and pans, except I don’t have to draw outlines with magic marker.

So my Dutch friend Stefan (I can really call him that because I’ve actually met the young and talented chef) had commented on my ebleskiver, mentioning a yeasted version he made on his blog, called Poffertjes. Here is the post for them here.

I was really intrigued by the fact that these very similar pancake “balls” are made with a yeasted batter including buckwheat flour. I’ve made blini before, which seems like it would be the savory sister to Poffertjes.

Not everyone in my family likes buckwheat, so I checked on Epicurious, and found a browned butter yeasted pancake batter. On the day after Christmas, I made mini waffles. There was nothing really different about the batter, except for the yeast, and the inclusion of a lot of browned butter.

Here’s the recipe I used:

Browned Butter Waffles
Adapted from Epicurious here

1 1/2 sticks butter, or 6 ounces
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups white flour, sifted
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

First brown the butter in a small pan on the stove over medium heat. Adjust the heat if any burning occurs.

Once the butter has browned, remove the pan from the heat.

Meanwhile, pour the milk and buttermilk into a large bowl. Slowly heat the milks until warm. You should be able to stick your finger into the milk comfortably. If it’s lukewarm, heat a little more. If it’s too hot, stir until it cools. The temperature should be approximately 110 degrees, if you prefer to use a thermometer.

Add the yeast, sugar, and salt, and let everything just rest for about 5 minutes.

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Whisk together, then sift in the flour.

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Whisking the whole time, whisk in the browned butter.

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Notice the little bits of browned butter in the batter? Gorgeous!

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Cover with plastic wrap and let set for 12 hours.

When you’re ready to make waffles, Add 2 eggs and the baking soda to the batter and whisk until smooth.

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Have your special waffle pan ready.

I poured the batter into one of those ketchup-looking plastic bottles to make pouring easier. I also used a butter spray. I don’t like to use the spray, but there’s a significant amount of butter in the batter, and I thought spray might make the waffle-making process go a little more quickly.

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Heat the waffle pan over medium to low heat, depending on your stove. The waffles take about 8 minutes to cook through, so you don’t want them browning too much on the bottom. When using this kind of pan, the waffles don’t get turned over.

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The most fun was testing the doneness of the waffles. What a fabulous texture and flavor. Just a touch of sourdough from the 12-hour batter.

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I got a little better at not overfilling the waffle indentations, as well. To remove the waffles, simply turn the pan upside down over a platter.

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Repeat with remaining batter.

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I can’t tell you how many waffles this pan made, because people kept coming through the kitchen and eating them. The recipe says it makes 8 servings, but I think it’s more like 16 servings. They are light, though.

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I will definitely make this recipe again. Really good flavor and texture, and the pan is fun. Although, of course, these could also be pancakes…

By Published On: January 12th, 201523 Comments on Yeasted Brown Butter Waffles

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

23 Comments

  1. Frugal Hausfrau January 12, 2015 at 9:39 AM - Reply

    So darling, and I love waffles, especially yeasted ones!

  2. Julie is HostessAtHeart January 12, 2015 at 9:57 AM - Reply

    That is very intriguing a yeasted batter. They do look light and delicious! My kitchen gadgets have made it down to my basement too. I do love my kitchen toys.

    • chef mimi January 12, 2015 at 2:07 PM - Reply

      The batter is way more impressive than the pan, to be honest!!! But they’re cute!

  3. Linda Duffin January 12, 2015 at 11:05 AM - Reply

    Wow, Mimi, those look scrumptious! I may have to get a waffle maker …

    • chef mimi January 12, 2015 at 2:07 PM - Reply

      Actually, the batter would make great pancakes!!!

  4. sarahgiebens January 12, 2015 at 1:07 PM - Reply

    Yummy!!

  5. dianeskitchentable January 12, 2015 at 4:04 PM - Reply

    The mini waffle pan had disguised itself – maybe it pretended to be a panini maker? No matter, that is the cutest thing ever…love the mini’s. I can definitely see why you had a parade to these waffles. They really sound fabulous.

    • chef mimi January 13, 2015 at 8:45 AM - Reply

      It’s a gimick, right? And I love it! but the batter is terrific!

      • dianeskitchentable January 13, 2015 at 10:55 AM

        Sometimes gimmicks work well. I remember when my daughter was young & I tried something new, I’d arrange it into some kind of animal or fun shape. Of course it didn’t really look like anything, but the power of suggestion usually worked & at least I’d get her to try new things.

  6. StefanGourmet January 12, 2015 at 5:08 PM - Reply

    Thanks for the mention, Mimi. These waffles sure have a lot of butter in them, so I bet they are very tasty indeed. Interesting that the recipe contains both yeast and baking soda. The rising time seems very long. Is the yeast only to get the sourdough flavor development and then the baking powder for the actual rise of the waffles?

  7. chef mimi January 13, 2015 at 8:47 AM - Reply

    I think that’s exactly it. And that’s probably why the baking soda is added at the last minute. I’m personally surprised it wasn’t baking powder, but baking soda. But it worked really well! The rising time is long, but the resulting was fabulous!

  8. frugaltiredmom6 January 14, 2015 at 7:35 AM - Reply

    Great post. I really like how the step-by-step photos. Once I get a waffle iron…I will definitely make these!

    • chef mimi January 14, 2015 at 7:51 AM - Reply

      Honestly, the pan is just cute. It’s all about this batter. These would make fabulous pancakes!

  9. sallybr January 14, 2015 at 10:49 AM - Reply

    I don’t have a waffle iron, and probably it’s not one of the gadgets I would buy. If you can believe it, the first time I tried a waffle was just a couple of months ago! I liked it, but doubt I would be making them at home.

    Now, I wanted to share something I saw on FoodTV this past weekend – they used the waffle iron in “creative ways” and one of them was cooking shredded potatoes a la hashbrowns. Looked very cute, and crispy… maybe you could give it a try sometime?

    • chef mimi January 14, 2015 at 1:31 PM - Reply

      Interesting! Seems to me that it wouldn’t work without a lid to press them into hashed brown waffles, unless I’m envisioning something completely different. Waffles aren’t my favorite, but to me, this was more about the fabulous batter, and not about the gimmicky gadget. It was cute, and it would be cute for kids!

  10. Choc Chip Uru January 15, 2015 at 3:23 PM - Reply

    These waffles have a lovely colour, I sometimes get bored of pancakes all the time :P
    Cant wait to save up and buy a waffle iron!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  11. Bam's Kitchen January 16, 2015 at 7:05 AM - Reply

    I can’t wait for tomorrow morning so I can give your recipe a try. the browned butter I am sure makes them taste so good!

    • chef mimi January 16, 2015 at 5:35 PM - Reply

      the browned butter and the sourdough quality made this batter really fantastic.

  12. wendy@chezchloe January 16, 2015 at 11:01 PM - Reply

    I love that iron. I’m in the market for a new one. Mine is 20 years old and only makes 2 at a time. LOVE yeasted brown butter recipe!

    • chef mimi January 17, 2015 at 11:42 AM - Reply

      2 at a time? Wow. That would be slow, unless you’re cooking for one… The batter is so good, I’d make it and make pancakes.

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