Remember that half-can of pumpkin puree left over after the dinner rolls were baked? Well, I turned it into the waffles, really nice ones – light and crispy, and delicate inside. Another great thing about them is that the waffle batter is mixed in advance, and there are only eggs added right before baking (while the waffle maker is preheating) – quite convenient. The waffles can be served with maple syrup and/or maple syrup-flavoured whipped cream and toasted walnuts, or with a store-bought all natural Breyers Maple Walnut ice cream – delicious!
This is a quick and the only shot I’d taken before they were all gobbled up. And the waffles definitely should be eaten as soon as they’ve been baked.
Makes 8 large, super-deep pocket round waffles
Ingredients:
- ½ cup lukewarm water
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 7 oz (½ can) canned pumpkin puree, at room temperature
- 1½ cups warm milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, melted
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp pure maple extract
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp baking soda
Preparation:
The night before baking (at least 8 hours ahead), in a large bowl, combine the warm water, 1 tsp of the granulated sugar and yeast. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes, until foamy.
Whisk the pumpkin puree, milk, and maple syrup into the yeast mixture. Whisk in the melted butter. Gradually whisk in the flours, spices, and salt, mix until well combined and smooth. Cover the bowl tightly with oil-sprayed plastic wrap and let stand overnight on the counter. Do not refrigerate.
When ready to bake, preheat your Belgian waffle maker. Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 200F. Place a cooling rack onto a large baking sheet and set aside. While the waffle maker is heating, whisk the eggs, maple and vanilla extracts, and baking soda into the batter. Use a measuring scoop to measure out the batter. Pour onto the hot waffle grids (don’t forget to spray the grids with oil before the first batch). Spread the batter evenly over the grids using a heat-proof spatula. Close the cover and bake according to your waffle manufacturer’s directions. If the waffle is not served right away, put the waffle onto the cooling rack and slide into the preheated oven while making the rest of the waffles. It will prevent the waffles from losing crispiness and will keep them warm. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Or, cover the leftover batter with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Stir the batter before baking. Any baked and left over waffles can be reheated on the rack set over the baking sheet in the 325F oven for about 10 minutes or so. Or, they can be wrapped first in plastic, then in foil and frozen. No need to defrost them before heating in the oven, just add a few minutes to the heating time.
January 9, 2020 at 5:14 am
First of all, let me start by saying that pumpkin usually isn’t my thing. But, I had some leftover canned pumpkin from a previous project and was looking for something different to do with them. Let me tell you, these were DELICIOUS!
I must admit that I did not follow the recipe 100%, though. I didn’t have enough honey, so I augmented with brown sugar. Used pumpkin pie spice mix instead of the individual spices. Didn’t have whole wheat flour, so just used all white flour. I hate the taste of maple, so I left out the maple extract and just used vanilla. And, I separated the whites and the yolks and beat the whites to soft peaks, then folded them into the batter. I proofed the batter for an hour and a half in my Instant Pot instead of the overnight proof, and the batter doubled in size and was a dream to work with. I was able to cook them the night before and then reheat here at work in the break room toaster oven. My coworkers were so jealous.
One thing to note is that I doubled the recipe and only got 9 waffles out of it.
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
November 7, 2019 at 12:48 pm
I made this recipe and the waffles cooked nicely, crisp and brown. I made the batter at midnight and baked them at 9AM. I have a Waring double Belgian waffle maker and it was a breeze to make them. However, I was looking for a pumpkin spice effect, even though these are called “pumpkin maple”. Next time, I will eliminate the artificial maple flavoring which overwhelmed every other taste. The spices need to be increased by half or even doubled. I would also perhaps even skip the vanilla but I would taste the batter first. Also, I would add 2T of sugar to the egg mixture as the waffles are a bit too sour for us. Different people prefer different waffle effects. The basic recipe is great and I would make it again but with the above tweaks.
March 13, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Our church has a huge pumpkin patch each fall. I’ve never made Belgian waffles. Do you think you could do these for a church breakfast? Make Belgian waffles for 80 people? Or would that be a recipe for disaster? :D
February 12, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Wendy, I’m so glad you liked them! Thanks for letting me know.
February 11, 2012 at 9:55 am
YUM! I got these together before bed last night and this morning all I had to do was stir in the eggs! Yum! Last week I made another pumpkin waffle but not a yeast batter. I’ve discovered that for truly fantastic waffles you need to use a yeast batter. My hubby doesn’t like a lot of spices so I left out all but the cinnamon and there had a very nice mellow flavor, very crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. We like ours slightly less moist inside so I put them in a slightly warm oven while I make the rest. I have the double-sided iron from Costco so it is a snap to do the entire batch. Delicious recipe! Thank you for sharing!
P.S. Anyone thinking it is too much work, it really goes together fast!
December 10, 2011 at 11:04 pm
Michelle, thank you for pointing it out. I have added the baking soda (1/4 tsp) to the recipe.
December 10, 2011 at 10:29 pm
Mmmmmm! I want to make these for breakfast tomorrow! How much baking soda? I don’t see it listed in the ingredients list. Thanks Vera!
November 30, 2011 at 6:26 am
Thanks for this recipe and your explanation. Now I’m sure I can do it :)
November 28, 2011 at 9:23 pm
Rosa, Sue, thank you!
Lalli, you can use 1 tbsp of egg substitute powder plus 1/4 cup of water instead.
Jade, thank you. After a night of fermentatiion the batter smells really yeasty, but after the extracts are added and waffles are baked, the yeast smell is very subtle and the flavor is nice. You also can reduce the yeast to 1 1/2 tsp.
Franceschina, I am hoping for so many presents from Santa, trying to be really good these days:)
Hanaa, dear, thank you. Belgian waffle maker is such a nice gadget. Mine is over 9 years old and still works great despite heavy use.
November 28, 2011 at 8:37 pm
I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, Vera. These look amazing. I love pumpkin. Guess what? I just bought a Belgian waffle maker :o) This recipe is calling my name!! Thanks for sharing, Vera.
November 28, 2011 at 12:17 pm
I love waffles, unfotunately I don’t have the waffle maker.. maybe this year Santa will bring me one
November 28, 2011 at 8:02 am
These look like they have wonderful texture! I made overnight yeast pancakes once and they were too yeasty for me- they wandered to the side of savory, which I didn’t like. s the yeast taste prominent in these?
November 28, 2011 at 4:16 am
Those look so good, like a perfect fall brunch item.
November 28, 2011 at 1:36 am
Hi,
these are lovely! but is it possible to skip the eggs? i cannot eat eggs but so want to use this recipe! looking forward to your answer
November 27, 2011 at 10:38 pm
Lovely waffles! Perfect with maple syrup.
Cheers,
Rosa