Overnight Brown-Butter Yeast-Raised Waffles

Ingredients

• For the waffles:
• 3 ounces unsalted butter
• 3/4 ounce sugar
• 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• 10 ounces cold milk; any percentage will do
• 1 large egg, cold
• 7 1/2 ounces all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast, not rapid-rise
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• Safflower, vegetable, or canola oil for greasing the iron, if needed
• To Serve:
• Maple syrup
• 6 ounces Lemon Chantilly, optional
• 10 ounces fresh strawberries, washed and sliced, optional

Directions

1. Make the batter by melting the butter in a 3-quart stainless steel saucier or saucepan. As it foams and bubbles, stir and scrape the pan with a heat-resistant spatula, cooking until the butter turns golden brown. Take the pan off the heat and right away mix in the sugar, salt, and milk, then add the egg. Sift the flour into the pan and stir until the batter is smooth. Add the yeast and baking soda at the end, stirring just until incorporated. Cover the batter and chill it overnight, between 12 and 18 hours. By then, it should look sticky, stretchy, and spongy.
2. Heat your waffle iron on medium until its indicator says it is ready. If you are using cast iron, coat it lightly with safflower, vegetable, or canola oil. For an 8-inch square waffle maker, add half of the batter for each round. For a 7-inch Belgian waffle maker, use about one-third of the batter. Close the iron and cook until the waffles are golden brown but still releasing steam, 5 to 7 minutes, depending on how hot and deep your machine runs. Cooked waffles can rest on a rack in a 200 degrees F oven while you finish the rest. Serve right away with maple syrup, Lemon Chantilly, and/or strawberries.