New Year Waffles

Happy New Year! We've had a wonderful Christmas and a good beginning to 2009. I thought I'd start this year off with a tasty recipe: Yeast Risen Waffles. This is from Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything."

The night before: Begin by melting 8 TBSP butter (one cube) and allowing it to cool. As the butter is cooling, combine 1/2 tsp instant yeast, 2 cups flour (you could use half whole wheat, though they wouldn't rise quite as high), 1 TBSP sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Stir in the milk, and add the melted, cooled butter and 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract. The mixture will be loose. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or waxed paper and let it sit out overnight at room temperature. Get out two eggs and leave them sitting out, also (the whites will beat better if the eggs are room temperature. The yolks won't go bad overnight).

In the morning, brush your waffle iron with oil and preheat it. Separate the eggs, mixing the yolks into the batter. Beat the whites until stiff in a separate bowl. Fold the whites gently into the batter.

Spread a cupful of batter onto the waffle iron and bake 3-5 minutes until done. Serve immediately with real syrup.

Delicious!