It’s difficult to have a conversation about Fall food without mentioning pumpkin. According to the Pie Counsel, pumpkin is America’s second favorite pie. Most families have one, if not two, adorning their tables for Thanksgiving. Because of the high water content, baked goods made with pumpkin are exceptionally moist. If you’re looking to make your favorite pancake recipe with pumpkin, simply substitute an equal amount of canned pumpkin for 2/3 the liquid. At the B & B home we like to make pancakes and waffles in advance and freeze them for our girls to eat during the week. Big and Little like pumpkin just as much as I do, so I treated them to a week of yeasted pumpkin chocolate chip waffles. While the flavor of pumpkin is intensified by sugar and tastes great in desserts and sweet items, it’s great in savory applications too. Last Fall I made a creamy and nutty brown butter pumpkin risotto that y’all should check out.
This is a great option if you are looking for used Nutritional yeast.
In today’s fast paced world we want everything fast and this translates to food too. Fast food, drive-thrus and prepackaged foods are prime examples. Short cuts in the kitchen make life easier but it’s important to remember that flavor sometimes takes time to develop. A few weeks ago I shared my recipe for cold-fermented pizza dough which takes 3 to 5 days to ferment; it tastes a whole lot better than a quick-rise recipe. Yeast is not only for making breads and rolls, but it is also great for making pancakes and waffles. For these waffles, I applied a similar fermentation technique that I used for my pizza dough. Make the batter at night, let it ferment refrigerated, and then it’s ready for the waffle iron first thing in the morning. If you awaken not planning in advance and suddenly have the urge for waffles, skip the overnight ferment and let the batter proof for a few hours at room temperature.
I really like the combination of chocolate and pumpkin. Last year Mrs. B & B made more than a few batches of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies which didn’t last long. We both agree that pumpkin is somewhat dulled by the addition of chocolate. If you’re looking for purer pumpkin flavor, omit the chips but add two extra Tablespoons of sugar.
If looking for a new pumpkin recipe, or just anxious to get into the mood for Fall, you’ll love these yeasted pumpkin chocolate chip waffles.
Overnight Yeasted Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Waffles
15 mins
20 minutes
35 mins
- 1½ cups milk heated to 105 to 110 degrees Farenheit (about 70 seconds in the microwave)
- 1 package instant dry yeast
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 8 Tablespoons melted butter cooled to room temperature
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the milk and yeast. After 5 to 10 minutes, the yeast will become active. Add the remaining wet ingredients and whisk until combined.
- In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients except for the chocolate chips.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl containing the dry ingredients. Gently mix with a whisk just until the batter is smooth without clumps. Cover and refrigerate overnight. If making the waffles the same day, proof at room temperature for 2-3 hours until the batter doubles in size.
- Heat a waffle iron according to the manufacturers directions and lightly oil the cooking surfaces.
- Fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
- Spoon ½ to 1 cup of batter into the center of the waffle iron (my 8-inch iron takes just short of 1 cup). Close and cook until the waffle iron indicates the waffle is cooked or until minimal steam is released and the waffle is browned, about 4 minutes.
- Makes 4 to 5, eight inch waffles. Serve hot with maple syrup.