Overnight Brown Butter Waffles

Good night, batter; good morning, waffles!  You’ll have to be a little bit patient for these waffles, but I promise that they are totally worth the wait.

For those of you who have been on a low sodium diet for a while, you probably know that pancakes and waffles are sky-high in sodium.   Try making them without the salt and with some no-sodium baking powder (or soda) and you are left with bland, very unsatisfying bricks topped with some syrup.  (At least I was – if you’ve had better luck, then kudos to you!)

Then one day I was rolling along, minding my own business when I came across a recipe for Yeasted Brown Butter Waffles from Bon Appétit.  We already know that I love brown butter and will use it any way I can.  It has great flavor that really helps to take low sodium recipes to the next level.  And yeast?  It would add another dimension to the flavor (goodbye bland, saltless waffles) and as an added bonus, it will also take some of the pressure from the sodium-free baking powder, which sometimes does not perform quite as well as its counterpart.

I set off with testing the recipe, omitting the salt, replacing the baking powder with the no-sodium kind (and doubling it since they were very flat the first time I tested them), and replacing the buttermilk with a milk+lemon juice mixture.   I also tested different ways of resting the batter and I had good luck with the two methods described in the recipe.  You will want to either make the batter and leave it at room temperature for a few hours or make the batter and place it in the fridge over night.  When I let it rest on the counter overnight, the yeast developed too quickly and didn’t play nicely the next morning.  By keeping the batter cool in the fridge, it slowed the yeast down a bit so that it was just right by the time I was ready to use it.

On a side note, you probably know that the average maple syrup in the store is typically very high in sodium.  For example, Mrs. Butterworth’s original maple syrup has 130 mg in a serving (1/4 cup). In real maple syrup, the sodium is closer to 10 mg in the same serving size.  You can also use Smuckers berry syrups, which are sodium-free.

Brown Butter Waffles

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These golden waffles with the nuttiness of brown butter will satisfy your breakfast cravings.

SODIUM COUNT: 61 mg per serving; 485 mg in the entire batch

• Yield: 8 waffles 1x

Ingredients

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For the Brown Butter

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter ((1.5 sticks))

For the Batter

• 2 1/2 cups milk (I used 1% because that is what we keep on hand) ((divided, you’re going to mix 1/2 cup milk with the lemon juice))
• 1 tsp lemon juice ((or white vinegar))
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast ((1 package))
• 2 cups all-purpose flour

To Finish

• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp sodium-free baking powder
• syrup of choice and unsalted butter* ((for topping))

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Instructions

For the Brown Butter

1. Place the butter in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Continue to stir the butter periodically as it heats.  
2. When the butter becomes a golden brown and smells nutty, remove from heat.  
3. Put the browned butter in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or until the butter has cooled completely. 

For the Batter

1. In a large bowl, stir together the lemon juice and ½ cup of milk. Set aside for 3-5 minutes.
2. In the same bowl, add 2 cups milk, sugar, and yeast. Whisk until combined.
3. Whisk in the flour and brown butter. Cover loosely and place the mixture in the refrigerator overnight. (Alternatively you can leave the batter on the countertop, at room temperature for 2-3 hours.)

To Finish

1. When the batter is ready, heat the waffle iron until very hot.
2. Remove the batter from the refrigerator and whisk in the eggs and baking powder.
3. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and pour batter into the waffle iron.  Bake until golden brown.  
4. Serve with butter and syrup of choice.

Notes

To make these waffles the same day, follow the instructions above, but rather than placing the batter in the refrigerator overnight, leave the bowl in a warm place for 2-3 hours.

*Toppings are not included in the nutritional information

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Yield: 8 servings (about 1/2 cup each)
Sodium: 60.7 mg, Calories: 331.9, Total Fat: 19.5 g, Saturated Fat: 11.8 g, Cholesterol: 101.5 mg, Carbohydrates: 31.3 g, Fiber: 1.0 g, Sugar: 3.4 g, Protein: 8.0 g.