16 may. 2018
People all over the world enjoy eating cakes. Because of differences in taste and availability of ingredients, many countries have their own cake specialties. Puratos travels around the world to discover the delicious tastes of local, authentic cakes. This time we enjoy a famous Belgian treat: the Brussels Waffle.
What’s a waffle?
A waffle is a light and crispy wafer from the capital of Belgium. It’s made from a leavened batter or dough, that’s cooked between two iron waffle plates giving it its characteristic appearance. What’s specific to the Brussels Waffle are its rectangular shape, its large size and the deep, square notches (15, 20 or 24 per waffle).
Prepared with an egg-white-leavened or yeast-leavened batter, Brussels Waffles are lighter and crispier than other waffle varieties. They are also different from yeast-raised Liège Waffles. These have more added sugar, are round-shaped and have a denser, firmer texture.
How to enjoy Brussels Waffles
Brussels Waffles are often served up hot by street vendors and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. In tourist areas they are often topped with whipped cream, fruit or chocolate spread.
Since the middle ages
Dating from the middle ages, Belgian Waffles were initially sold as unleavened crisp cakes baked in a waffle iron. In those days they were made with a mix of barley and oats, while the waffle iron consisted of two metal plates connected by a hinge and an arm attached to a wooden handle. The waffle iron was put over a fire and flipped like a pancake to cook both sides of the waffle.
The oldest recognized reference to “Gaufres de Bruxelles” (Brussels Waffles) dates from 1842/1843. It is attributed to a Swiss baker called Florian Dacher who worked in Ghent but who had previously worked under different pastry chefs in Brussels.
Bake your own Brussels Waffles
Thanks to close collaboration with our experts in Belgium, it’s easy to create a Brussels Waffle yourself.
All you need is our Tegral Brussels Waffle mix that offers you:
- an authentic and delicious waffle
- the light and crispy texture you would find in Brussels
- the ability to be in line with market trends
- the option to offer emblematic products from Belgium, Europe
- convenience of easy preparation and guaranteed consistent quality of the final product.
Do you want to increase your range of products on display? It’s easy to add authentic cakes and pastries like waffles. Benefit from the authentic recipe, combined with convenience and a consistent quality by using the Tegral Brussels Waffle mix.
Contact your local Puratos representative to discover our Cakes of the World range.
