avg —
Waffles in a Soviet Waffle Maker
Instructions
As usual, all the ingredients for making waffles in a Soviet waffle maker should be prepared in advance on a clean work surface. Melt the butter (250 g) ahead of time in a water bath until liquid – it should be warm but not hot (about 40°C). The flour should be sifted through a fine sieve, which removes any bits and aerates it for an airy waffle structure.
In a deep mixing bowl, where we will knead the dough, break in the eggs (5 pcs) one by one. Crack them one at a time, carefully checking that each one is fresh, as a bad egg would spoil the whole batter. Using a balloon whisk, beat the eggs for 1–2 minutes. There is no need to beat them to a fluffy foam; we just need to combine the yolks and whites evenly.
To the beaten egg mass, add all the sugar (280 g) and mix thoroughly with the whisk for 2–3 minutes. The sugar should dissolve COMPLETELY in the egg mass – check by feel, there should be no crystals left. If the sugar has not dissolved, keep whisking.
The butter (250 g) has been melted gently in a water bath until liquid and warm.
In Soviet times, creamy margarine was added to the dough; the modern swap to butter gives more tender waffles with a natural buttery flavour.
Pour the warm melted butter (250 g) into the egg-and-sugar mass in a thin stream, stirring constantly with the whisk. The warm butter heats the mass and helps the sugar finish dissolving. Add the vanillin (1.5 g, 1 sachet) for a delicate aroma, and mix everything together.
Add the flour (300 g) in three to four stages, mixing well with the whisk each time until smooth and free of lumps. Adding the flour gradually is the secret to a smooth batter. If any lumps remain after all the portions, strain the batter through a sieve.
This is the elastic mass we end up with. Its consistency is like that of a runny pancake batter, flowing off the whisk in a smooth stream. Batter that is too thin (like crêpe batter) gives thin, brittle waffles; batter that is too thick (like for fritters) gives thick, tough ones. Adjust the consistency with flour or milk as needed.
We will bake the waffles on an old Soviet device. A modern electric model is heated according to its instructions (usually 5–7 minutes); an old "cast-iron" one with two handles is first warmed over high heat for about 10 minutes, turning it constantly so it heats evenly.
The waffle maker is square, but the finished waffles always come out round on the plate.
Heat the device, and before baking the first batch, grease the cooking surfaces with a little vegetable oil using a silicone basting brush. This stops the waffles sticking. After two or three batches, greasing is no longer needed – the batter contains enough butter of its own.
In the centre of the lower cooking surface, place a full tablespoon of batter (about 30 g).
Close the top part of the device and squeeze the handles together firmly, without too much force, so as not to break the waffle maker. The batter spreads across the whole surface. Hold it until you hear the characteristic sizzle of the batter baking on the hot plates.
It takes only 30–40 seconds to bake one waffle in a Soviet waffle maker (a modern electric one takes 1–2 minutes), and the tastiest pastry is ready. Go by the colour: a finished waffle is golden-brown, without darkening too much.
Open the waffle maker carefully with a wooden spatula and lift the waffle out. Option one: simply transfer it to a plate to cool flat. You can leave a few waffles flat like this, spread them with cream, and sandwich them together with another waffle – and the dessert is ready.
The next option is perhaps the most popular in the Soviet tradition. Transfer the finished waffle to a flat work surface, and work with it straight away while it is hot – you have about 30 seconds to shape it.
While the pastry is still very hot, roll it into a tight tube around a thin wooden stick or the handle of a kitchen whisk. After about 5 seconds, slide out the stick – the tube is ready. This must be done very quickly while the waffle is hot and pliable.
The tubes are now ready. Such tubes used to be filled with custard cream or protein cream, but most often the filling was boiled sweet condensed milk. Once the tubes have cooled completely, fill them: transfer the boiled condensed milk (400 g) into a piping bag with a thin 5 mm nozzle and pipe it into the wide end of each tube until it just shows at the other end.
While the waffle is still very hot, you can also shape a pretty basket for dessert. Place the freshly baked waffle on the bottom of an upside-down glass and press it gently with your hands to form decorative "waves" around the edges. After about 5 seconds the waffle sets and holds its basket shape beautifully – perfect for serving ice cream with fruit.
On a dessert plate, set up the waffle basket and fill it with vanilla ice cream and seasonal fresh fruit – here we have nectarine and blackberry. Add a few fresh mint leaves and serve it at the celebration table. The waffles in a Soviet waffle maker are ready! I serve them with a cup of hot tea or coffee.Make waffles in a Soviet waffle maker using this recipe and recall the taste of homemade waffles from childhood. From this amount of ingredients you get more than thirty waffles, which you can decorate in various ways and fill with different creams for a fine variety of desserts on your celebration table.
Tips
- 1
Roll the waffles into tubes straight after taking them out, while they are still HOT – after about 30 seconds they set and break.
- 2
Adjust the batter to the consistency of a runny pancake batter, not as thick as fritter batter (which gives tough waffles) and not as thin as crêpe batter (which gives brittle ones).
- 3
Grease the waffle maker with oil ONLY before the first batch – after that the batter contains enough butter of its own. I use a similar principle to bake thick Belgian waffles.
- 4
Use boiled condensed milk for the filling – it is the Soviet classic. Unboiled condensed milk is too runny and will leak out of the tubes.
FAQ
What can I use instead of boiled condensed milk for the filling? +
Good options include: homemade boiled condensed milk (a tin of ordinary condensed milk boiled in water for 2–3 hours), buttercream (200 g butter + 200 g condensed milk beaten with a mixer), a classic protein custard cream, chocolate ganache (200 g chocolate + 200 ml cream), sour cream filling (450 g of 25% sour cream + 130 g icing sugar beaten into a thick cream), Nutella (200 g of ready-made chocolate-hazelnut spread), or toffee caramel sauce (homemade or shop-bought). Boiled condensed milk is the classic for Soviet waffles, with its characteristic old-fashioned flavour. For children's waffles use Nutella; for adults, add a little brandy to the buttercream.
Can I bake these waffles in a modern electric waffle maker? +
Yes, the recipe works in any waffle maker. Modern electric models (Tefal, Princess, Axion) bake thin "Soviet" waffles when you choose the appropriate plate. Thick "Belgian" waffles need a different batter with a raising agent – use a separate recipe for those. Baking time depends on the power: 750–1000 W takes 1–2 minutes, 600 W takes 2–3 minutes. Many modern models have a readiness indicator (a green light) – go by that. For tubes, choose models with thin 1.5–2 mm plates rather than the 5 mm "Belgian" ones.
How long do the finished waffles keep? +
Crisp empty waffles (without filling) keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. The main thing is to protect them from moisture in the air, or they will go soft within a day. Tubes filled with condensed milk keep in the fridge for 3–4 days (but soften from the cream), so it is ideal to fill them just before serving. You can freeze empty waffles for up to one month in airtight bags – before serving, thaw them at room temperature for 15 minutes and warm them briefly in the oven (3 minutes at 100°C) to bring back the crispness.
What can I serve the waffles with? +
The classic Soviet way is waffle tubes with boiled condensed milk alongside black tea with lemon or cocoa with milk (a childhood favourite). Modern variations: tubes with protein cream, with chocolate Nutella, with custard cream, or with homemade jam. Baskets go with a scoop of vanilla ice cream plus fresh fruit (strawberry, raspberry, nectarine), a mint leaf and a drizzle of chocolate. Flat waffles can be layered with whipped cream and berries like a "cake". For drinks – tea, coffee, cocoa, milk or fruit compote. For a children's birthday, serve ice cream in the baskets for an impressive presentation.
- Comment
or post as a guest
Be the first to comment.
