Assemble your ingredients

In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar until the sugar dissolves. Sprinkle the active dry yeast on top of the water but do not stir. Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast are activated and the liquid becomes bubbly in appearance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️If you have rapid rise yeast, you don’t have to do this step! Add the yeast directly to the batter, along with an extra 1/4 cup of milk.

Combine the butter and milk in a bowl, and microwave at 30 second intervals until the butter is completely melted and the milk is warm (~105°F).

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Whisk well to combine.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla extract, and maple syrup.

Add all the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and lightly mix before adding the yeast mixture and mixing gently again. It’s okay if there are some lumps. Don’t overmix!

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. For best results, transfer the bowl to the fridge overnight. If you really can’t wait, though, you can cook them immediately.

Remove the bowl from the fridge and preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Gently mix the waffle batter, then ladle it onto the preheated waffle iron. If you have a larger waffle iron (I.e.. 7 inch, deep pocket), the cooking time may be 5 to 6 minutes. My smaller waffles took about 2 to 3 minutes before the iron’s alarm sounded.

Transfer the cooked waffles to a wire rack to cool.

The outside is a little crispy and the inside is light and fluffy! Serve them with your favorite toppings: syrup, fruit, whipped cream, or a dusting of powdered sugar.