Yeasty Waffles with Cranberry Topping

Good morning!  Last Saturday Jenni and I made brunch for a whole flock of friends to start off our Christmas season together.  And it started with these yeasty waffles and a whole line up of toppings– cranberry sauce, apple & currant sauce, maple syrup, pecans, yogurt, whipped cream, orange marmalade, almonds…   All together with cups of coffee and lots of noisy talk–a sweet way to launch into Christmas.

YEASTY WAFFLES WITH CRANBERRY TOPPING

Waffles:
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup buttermilk
2 tab. sugar
2 packets yeast (about 4 tsp.)
1 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. baking powder

Six to Eight hours before you want to sit down to waffles, make the batter!  (the night before for morning waffles).

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the oil, milk, buttermilk, sugar and yeast, until the yeast is totally dissolved.  Then stir in the salt and flour.  That’s all, the rest comes later!  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it in a warmish place to sit for 6 to 8 hours.

When you are ready to make the waffles, stir in the 2 eggs and the baking powder.  Use your waffle iron according to the directions.  The batter is thin.  Makes 5 or 6 full sized waffles.

Cranberry Sauce:
1/2 cup sugar
1 tab. cornstarch
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/3 cup water

In a sauce pan, stir together the sugar and cornstarch until there are no cornstarch lumps.  Than add in the cranberries and water and stir over medium heat until the cranberries start to pop (!) and the sauce thickens.  Takes about 3 or 4 minutes after it starts to simmer.  Serve it warm with the waffles.