When I discovered that stroopwafels were the next technical challenge, I was worried – I thought it would be impossible to create these without a waffle iron. However, necessity is the mother of invention! I managed to ‘make’ one using two cast iron pans, which you can see below:

With this setup, I heated up both pieces separately on a medium-high heat. Once heated, I added a ball of dough to the bottom, and (using oven gloves!) I put the smaller pan on top and squished it down for 30 seconds. I then left these to cook for a further minute and a half, and I think they turned out great! The smaller cast iron piece had a design on the base, so this also made them come out quite pretty, if I do say so myself!

As with all the bakers in this challenge, my caramel also came out very grainy. If I were to make these again, I think I would try to melt the sugar alone first, and then add in the butter. The sugar just did not want to dissolve for some reason.

However, they tasted amazing, and I would definitely attempt them again in the future.

Ingredients

For the dough

300g (21/2 cups) plain flour 65g (1/4 cup) butter 1 tsp dried yeast 1/2 tsp cinnamon

65g (1/3 cup) sugar 65mL (1/4 cup) warm water 1 large egg pinch of salt

For the caramel

200g (1 cup packed) soft light brown sugar 100g (1/2 cup) butter 1 tsp cinnamon

5 tbsp golden syrup 1 tbsp vanilla extract

• You will also need a 10cm (4 inch) round cookie cutter.

Method

1. In a large bowl, rub the butter and the flour together until it looks like breadcrumbs. Mix in the yeast, cinnamon, and sugar.
2. Stir in the warm water and egg, and knead together for two minutes, until smooth. Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
3. For the caramel, melt the butter and sugar together over a low heat until dissolved. Add the cinnamon and syrup and stir until it starts to bubble. Stir in the vanilla, and keep warm.
4. Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces, and cover with a damp cloth to prevent them drying out.
5. Heat up the waffle iron or cast iron (see instructions above), and grease with butter. Place a ball on, and close the lid. Bake for 1-2 minutes until they are a dark golden colour.
6. Quickly, remove the stroopwafel and place on a chopping board. Cut using a 10cm (4 inch) cutter, and slice in half with a sharp knife.
7. Add a heaping tablespoon of caramel in the middle of one side, and gently push the two sides together to evenly distribute the caramel across the surface. Place on a wire rack to cool, and repeat with the remaining dough.

 

This recipe was originally from the Great British Bake Off’s website, which you can find here.