Next time you pack your waffle iron away after a long weekend, reconsider. You can keep it primed for making dinner on a busy day. Wait … what? That's right, waffles aren't just for breakfast and they don't need to be smothered in syrup:
This, my friends, is a pizza stuffed waffle. And it's delicious and easy to make. I think you should put them on your list of items to make this month. Go ahead, add them to your list. I'll wait.
The recipe below gives you step-by-step instructions for making a delightful bacon-cheese biscuit dough for the waffles, but I'll let you in on a secret: you can use refrigerated biscuit dough to cut the preparation time on these babies down to about 15 minutes! When I'm in a rush, I'll totally make them that way. You know, on an evening when there's a lot going on and it might be difficult, say, to get the kids to sit down and eat dinner. I'm thinking these babies were made for serving on Halloween!
I've stuffed them with cheese and pepperoni, but you could mix it up and toss other fillings in there, too. I would recommend keeping very moist ingredients for toppings, as a waffle maker will sputter with steam if you get a lot of wet stuff inside the biscuit pockets. Here, delicious ripe tomatoes make a perfect topping for these inspired, savory waffles. Enjoy trying your hand at this rendition or one of your very own. You're welcome!
Pizza Stuffed Waffles
- 2 c. all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 egg
- 2 oz. cream cheese
- 2 T. bacon grease
- 3/4 c. milk
- 3-4 oz. pepperoni
- 3-4 oz. grated cheese
- Cooking spray
- Tomatoes, chopped — for garnish, if desired
Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the egg, cream cheese, and bacon grease. Work the mixture with your hands or the whisk attachment until coarse crumbs form. Add the milk a little at a time, mixing as you go (using a spoon or the paddle attachment), until a heavy dough forms. You may need to add a little more or a little less milk than called for in the recipe. Either turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead there or, using the dough hook, knead the dough in the mixing bowl until slightly stretchy.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Preheat a Belgian waffle iron.
Using one quarter of the dough, separate it into two equal parts and press each part into a flat disc, measuring about 5-6 inches across. Place a layer of pepperoni with about 2 tablespoons of grated cheese in the middle of one of the discs. Add another layer of pepperoni and place the other disc over the top, pressing the edges together and pushing any air pockets out of the center. Repeat this process with the remaining three quarters of the dough.
Lightly spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and place one of the pizza pockets into the center of the preheated waffle iron. Press down firmly and set a timer for 5 minutes. Check the waffle when the timer goes off. If the waffle isn't golden brown, continue cooking it, checking it every minute until it's done.
Serve hot and, if desired, topped with chopped ripe tomatoes.
- Yields: 4 servings
- Preparation Time:45 minutes