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
|
|
For the caramel
|
|
- You will also need a 10cm (4 inch) round cookie cutter.
Method
- In a large bowl, rub the butter and the flour together until it looks like breadcrumbs. Mix in the yeast, cinnamon, and sugar.
- Stir in the warm water and egg, and knead together for two minutes, until smooth. Cover and leave for 30 minutes.
- 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.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces, and cover with a damp cloth to prevent them drying out.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.