Liege Waffle Recipe

Liege waffle is the most famous food of Belgian cuisine. Even if you hate waffles, you cannot stand the waffle smell on the streets and return back from Belgium without stopping by one of the waffle shops.

Liege waffle takes its name from the Belgian city of Liege. Unlike the waffle we know, it is prepared with a leavened dough and since the pearl sugar added to it caramelizes while cooking, the outside of the waffle has a caramelized, crunchy consistency.

What is pearl sugar?

Pearl sugar is tiny white lumps of granulated sugar. It can be used to decorate breads such as roscon de reyes or panettone. If you don't have it where you live don't worry! You can make pearl sugar yourself at home. There are several ways to do it. First, you can break the sugar cubes into tiny pieces. It is enough to sift to get rid of the powdery part. Secondly, you can mix 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1-2 teaspoons of water and crumble it until it becomes lumpy, and then you can wait until the tiny lumps you get dry at room temperature. Another way is to take 1 cup of water in a sauce pan and hold it until it starts to melt on the stove, then take it off the stove and mix it to form lumps and let dry.

I tried Belgian liege waffle for the first time in Brussels. My first attempt was a huge disappointment. I generally eat by looking at the content, consistency and texture of what I eat. In the same way, after a few bites of my waffle, I saw that the waffle was doughy. When I digged it with a fork from different parts and encountered the same image, I lost my appetite.

I immediately took my phone and left a comment on the Maps where we bought the waffle. I asked "Why didn't you cook it well?" Within minutes, my comment was answered. They said, "We're sorry you didn't like our waffles, but that's how waffles are for us". We bought another waffle from another waffle shop while we were walking the streets of Brussels. No way!! It was even worse.  It tastes and smells both doughy and like raw flour. The first was doughy, but it didn't taste or smell bad. After the second waffle, I understood that the owner of the place who replied to my comment, meant the Belgian waffle in general, not the waffles of their own place. I wasn't sure, though, so I googled it. Yes, Belgian waffles are not like the waffles we know. They have a heavy texture. In other words, it is as if the dough was taken from the fire when it is not fully cooked yet. That's why it feels like doughy when it's hot inside. Of course, street vendors have time constraints. If they cook for such a long time, it would not be nice to keep the customer waiting and they would not serve enough customers during the day. Therefore, it is quite normal for some waffles to remain raw inside. In our subsequent attempts, we ate waffles with the thick and heavy consistency that I wrote above, which was acceptable in a few places, but to be honest, even this consistency was not good enough for me.

For Turks, it is very important for something to be cooked very well. Until today, I have seen many cookies that have dried out and pastries that are on the verge of burning just because of this love of baking things thoroughly. I'm not that obsessed about well cooked things, I wouldn't consider every soft, moist donut or light coloured cookie unbaked, but this waffle was way too undercooked, even for me. I wanted to cook it myself as soon as I get home so that I can cook it thoroughly. I think it was cooked to the best possible consistency. Again, it is as soft as it should be, with a consistency that sticks well when pressed between two fingers, but there is no taste or smell of raw dough or flour.

Enjoy the recipe...

Enjoy...