Bubble Waffles (made in regular waffle iron)

I absolutely love Bubble Waffles but I hate the idea of buying a special waffle iron just to make them. So for this recipe, I tried making them in a regular waffle iron. In terms of flavor and texture, they tasted very close to the real thing, but of course, they didn't look like regular bubble waffles.

My earliest memory of eating bubble waffles was at the Bubble Waffle Cafe in Vancouver. If you've never been before, it's an Asian restaurant that specializes in noodle soups and Asian street snacks. I go there almost exclusively to eat the bubble waffles. They cost like $5 each but if you buy a noodle soup combo, you can get one for only $2. Pretty cheap!

The texture of the waffles is just amazing. They are crispy on the outside and slightly chewy/sticky on the inside. If you look closely while pulling apart the waffle, you can actually see the waffle stretching! The secret is tapioca starch!

Important ingredients

Tapioca starch: This is 100% the most important ingredient for bubble waffles. Many people have actually never used it before. It adds a really nice chewy/sticky quality to foods. I usually add it to the crust for deep-fried foods and it gives it a really chewy texture. Here is the bag I'm using:

Custard powder: The custard powder is very important for two reasons. First, it gives the waffles a nice flavor. Second, it helps with the gelatinous texture on the inside. I have tried skipping this in the past and the waffles did not end up tasting as good, so I would highly recommend using it.

How long to rest the batter?

I recommend resting the batter for at least one hour. The reason being the starches need at least that amount of time to fully hydrate. Not only does this have a dramatic effect on the texture, but it gives a deeper flavor to the waffles as well. When I made mochi donuts, I noticed the exact same thing. Longer resting time = better flavor + texture.

How to make bubble waffles in a regular waffle iron?

You want to fill the waffle iron until the bottom is completely filled. This requires a little more batter than regular waffles (I had to use about 1 and ¼ cups). Then, all you do is close the iron, and flip it so that the top gets coated in the batter, then flip it back and cook normally.

As you can see, they come out looking like regular waffles, but the flavor is very close to a regular bubble waffle. All in all, I would consider these to be a success, given I did not have to buy a special waffle maker. I will definitely be making this for friends and family if they come over.