Gaufres Maison (French Waffles)

I was never a waffle person and always a pancake person. Or so I thought... 


Apparently, waffles have been around since the Middle Ages... and they came from wafers. Waffles are just a leavened form of wafers... weird! 


When I was a child, my mom would occasionally buy Eggo waffles, and those are the only ones I had ever tried. Can you believe I had never made or tried homemade waffles before? 
I did like the Eggo waffles, although these put those to shame. All I really remember is trying to get syrup in every single pocket before eating it... what? My sweet tooth told me to.


My college dining halls had Belgian waffle makers but the waffles just looked so enormous and time-consuming that I just didn't bother... I don't know what I was thinking. I just assumed I was a pancakes girl! I mean, I do prefer IHOP to Waffle House (don't kill me).


But after seeing this recipe in my Laduree cookbook, I was seriously craving waffles like nobody's business. I kept my eye out for waffle iron sales and finally found one on trusty ole Amazon that converts into a sandwich maker (it's resulted in quite a few inventive sandwich ideas).

I'm glad my first homemade waffle recipe was this one because it blew my mind. I often need syrup but this was so delicious that I followed the recipe exactly and sifted powdered sugar over it and just ate it with raspberry jam. Mind blown.


It was so good I wanted waffles every day, and thus, I did eat other variations for many days. I found recipes that didn't involve butter or creme fraiche and tried some healthier kinds. Honestly? They all hit the spot, but these Gaufres Maison were by far the best tasting ones. 


They're perfect for brunch, but definitely not for an everyday kinda meal. They take slightly more effort and bowls than regular waffles which definitely puts it in the special occasion category. 
Also because if you make it too often, you'd get sick of it and wouldn't appreciate it like the way they deserve.
These aren't your average waffles. These waffles are classy. Real classy. 

*Note: The recipe asks for orange flower water which I didn't have so I used Grand Marnier instead and it was heavenly... and I'm on the hunt for orange flower water!


French Waffles
Makes 10
Adapted from Laduree


1/2 cup + 1 1/2 tbsp (75g) cake flour
1/2 cup + 1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp (20g) granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
2 tbs (30g) melted butter
3 large eggs
1/4 cup (50mL) creme fraiche (or sour cream)
1 tbs orange flower water (I used Grand Marnier instead)


Powdered sugar for dusting


Equipment: Waffle Iron


Sift the flour. 
In a saucepan, bring the 1/2 cup of milk, sugar, salt, and butter to a boil. 
Remove from heat and add the flour.
Mix energetically till it's homogenous.
Return the saucepan to low heat and stir vigorously for 1 minute to pull out the moisture from the batter, so that it forms a mass and pulls away from the sides of the pan.
Transfer the batter to a large bowl and allow to cool.
Add the eggs one at a time and stir in carefully.
Add the creme fraiche, the rest of the milk and the orange flower water or any other extract. 
Stir together and allow to rest at room temperature for an hour (I did not/could not wait).


Preheat the waffle iron and oil very lightly. 
Pour in enough batter for the iron and cook for approximately 3-4 minutes. 
Dust with powdered sugar and serve with jam or syrup.


I've made these twice, and most recently, I used my homemade raspberry sauce in place of sugar or jam and it was even tastier that way!