Belgian waffles with pearl sugar

Directions

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir together the 1 1/4 cup of flour, yeast, brown sugar, and salt, make a well in the middle, and set aside.
2. In a small microwave safe dish, gently heat the milk and water until just above body temperature. Add this to the well along with the egg and vanilla. Attach the dough hook to the mixer and begin to knead. The dough will be very wet at this point but that’s ok.
3. Start adding your butter about one tablespoon at a time, kneading well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. This will take a little bit of time but it’s totally worth it!
4. When all of the butter has been added, add the remaining 1/4 - 1/2 cup of flour and continue to knead for five minutes. Scrape down the sides and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a clean dishtowel and place in a warm spot for about one hour.
5. After the dough has risen, punch it down and scrape it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently press it into a large square or rectangle and sprinkle the top with the pearl sugar. Roll the dough up into a log and cut it into eight equal pieces. Lightly roll each piece into a ball, cover lightly with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rest for about 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat your waffle iron. Place one or two balls of dough onto the iron so that there is a good amount of space around each. Close the iron and cook the waffles according to the manufacturers directions or until deeply golden all over.
7. Keep the cooked waffles warm in a 200ºF oven while you cook the rest of the waffles. Serve warm with sugar, whipped cream, and berries.

For the pearl sugar:

1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Turn the heat on to the lowest setting possible and give the mixture a good stir so that the sugar gets clumpy. If the mixture isn’t clumping up, add another 1/2 teaspoon of water and keep stirring.
2. Allow the sugar to slowly cook and dry over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. When the sugar clumps have firmed up, remove the pan from the heat, carefully dump the sugar out onto a sheet of aluminum foil, and allow the sugar to cool and harden completely.