I’m pretty much a toast person. Occasionally, I branch out into granola with yoghurt and honey – maybe a little added seasonal fruit. But, primarily, I start my day with toasted sourdough bread with salted butter. I like it plain and savoury.
During the holidays, however, when we visit extended family and friends, there is something wonderful about a large, shared breakfast. The smell of a great waffle is something that could lure even the sleepiest teenager out of bed in the morning. I have added a bit of yeast to this one, more for flavour than for any great rise. The Christmas holidays are just the time to potter around with longer, more in-depth recipes, and while the waffle recipe that follows isn’t hard work, you do have to be organised enough to start the night before.
A few years ago, when I was food styling for Ottolenghi’s column in Weekend magazine, I made a recipe called Super French Toast, which changed how I think about French toast forever. More of a bread and butter pudding than an eggy bread, the recipe stuck with me. I have adapted it here and put my own twist on it, but really it was the inventiveness of soaking and baking the bread before re-dipping and frying it in butter that came from the genius behind one of London’s favourite eateries.
Here I use panettone, because I always get one at Christmas and struggle to use it up. Plus, I think panettone was pretty much invented for baked eggy bread. The candied citrus peel mixed with added zest makes for a bright, sweet, crispy and custardy pudding-like start to the day – just the thing before a winter walk. Besides, it is basically a version of my staple – toast. And, just like the waffles, it would welcome a side of roasted quince, this season’s most fragrant fruit.
Yeasty breakfast waffles
You will need a waffle iron for this recipe, and you will also need to start these the night before. Aside from that, these waffles are quick and easy.
Makes 10
7g (1 packet) dried yeast
110g warm water
450g warmed milk
110g unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp caster sugar
350g plain flour
2 eggs
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp pearl sugar or demerara sugar
Salted butter, to serve and a little for the waffle iron
1 Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it rest for 5 minutes. Add the warmed (but not hot) milk along with the melted butter, salt and sugar. Whisk together well. Sift over the flour and whisk together. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest overnight at room temperature.
2 In the morning, heat your waffle iron, then whisk in the eggs, baking powder and sugar to the waffle mixture. Brush the iron with a little butter, then put a large scoop of batter into the centre of the iron and cook the waffles according to the appliance’s instructions.
3 Use a fork to gently lift the cooked waffles to a plate that can be kept in a warm oven until you have enough waffles to serve. You can butter them if you like or leave them plain or even serve with a little maple syrup and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
Panettone baked french toast
Serves 6
500g whole milk
200g double cream
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lime or citron
1 vanilla pod
1 cinnamon stick
500g panettone, sliced into 6 portions
6 eggs
40g golden caster sugar
60g butter
Icing sugar
200g creme fraiche, to serve
1 Put the milk, cream, citrus zest, cinnamon and vanilla into a saucepan. Heat until it is just about to reach boiling point, the cover and set aside to steep.
2 Line a 23x32cm tray with baking parchment, and lay the slices of panettone into the dish evenly.
3 Whisk together the eggs and the sugar, then slowly add the warm milk. Once mixed, strain the custard (reserving the cinnamon stick and the vanilla pod) and pour ⅔ of the mixture over the panettone.
4 Add the cinnamon stick and vanilla pod back to the baking dish and let the bread absorb the custard for about 20 minutes.
5 Heat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5. Bake for 20 minutes.
6 Cut the baked custard-soaked bread into 6 pieces once again and dip in the remaining custard. Dust each side of the bread with icing sugar.
7 Heat a large frying pan with butter until it is foamy, then fry the pieces of baked panettone until golden. Serve immediately.
Roasted quince
4-5 quince
300g sugar
100ml water
200ml fresh lemon juice
Zest of 2 lemons
3-4 bay leaves
1 vanilla bean
1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Peel and core the quince and cut them into wedges by cutting them in half from top to tail and then cutting each half into thirds.
2 Spread the wedges out in one layer in a large, heavy-bottomed gratin or roasting dish. Sprinkle with the sugar. Cover with water and lemon juice. Add the zest, bay leaves and vanilla bean.
3 Cover tightly with foil and roast for about 25-35 minutes, or until a deep pinky orange and tender to the touch.
4 Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one month.
