​Essential Raised Waffles

With just a tweak or two, these waffles have a lovely tang and great crispy crunch - another winner from Deb!
​1/2 cup warm water (about 105 to 110 degrees, so not too hot)
1 packet (1/4 ounce, 7 grams or 2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
2 cups milk, warmed (again, not too hot
1 stick (4 ounces or 115 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until lukewarm
1 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour

​2 large eggs
​additional flour, approx 3/4-1 cup
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Oil or melted butter for waffle iron
Powdered sugar, syrup or berries for serving
The night before:
​Pour warm water in the bottom of a large (larger than you think you’ll need, because the batter will rise a lot) bowl. Sprinkle yeast on top and let it dissolve and foam ever-so-slightly for 15 minutes. Stir in milk, butter, salt, sugar and flour, whisking to prevent lumps.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set out on counter overnight.

The next morning:
Whisk in eggs and baking soda until smooth. The batter may be a bit thin, so add more flour bit by bit until you get a thicker batter-like consistency. Heat waffle iron and coat lightly with butter or oil. Ladle in 1/2 to 3/4-cup batter per waffle batch, erring on the side of less until you figure out how much works for your waffle iron. Cook according to instructions. Repeat with remaining batter.

Waffles can be kept crisp in a warm oven until needed. If you only want to make a few at a time, the batter keeps well in the fridge for several days. Cooked waffles can be frozen.
Source

Notes:
  • Deb's recipe doesn't call for additional flour on day 2, but I found that the batter was so thin, I was making waffle crackers. I added more flour until the batter thickened up to what I felt was a more normal batter consistency, and then I got (scrumptious) full sized waffles. 
For my waffle maker (Chef's Choice Classic Waffle Pro 854):
  • a very full 2/3 cup batter is about right
    • pour batter starting in the center of the plates then out to each of the four corners in a sort of square pattern. Don't worry about closing the lid ASAP, it'll actually help prevent spillage if the bottom sets just a bit. 
  • color control to between 3 and 4
  • waffles can be frozen and then reheated in a toaster.