Spiced Yeasted Waffles with Pecans and Caramel Apple Compote

Activate the yeast

1. Place the warm milk in a bowl (see recipe notes). Whisk the honey in the milk to dissolve.
2. Sprinkle the yeast over the lukewarm milk, and mix gently.
3. Allow the yeast to activate for about 10 - 15 minutes.

Make the batter

1. Place the milk with the activated yeast in a very large bowl. Add the flour, cornstarch, spices, butter, and salt. Whisk to combine well, and make sure there are no dry lumps. You can also use an electric mixer, but I usually use a manual balloon whisk or spatula.
2. Cover and let it sit in the fridge overnight (for best results), or up to 24 hours.
3. The batter will at least double in size by the following morning. Do not deflate the batter at this point.
4. For toasted pecans - Place the pecans in a non-stick skillet. Heat over medium heat while moving the pecans around in the pan. Heat the pecans until they are toasted (turn color and are fragrant).
5. Place the pecans on a chopping board and let them cool slightly. Chop the pecans into smaller pieces, and set aside for the following day.

The following morning

1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the room temperature water and baking soda.
2. Add the 2 eggs, and whisk the eggs really well.
3. Add about ½ - ¾ cup of the waffle batter into the egg mixture, and mix really well.
4. Pour the egg mix back into the rest of the batter mixture, and gently stir / fold it in until there are no egg streaks left in the batter. Be careful not to deflate the batter too much at this point.
5. The yeasted waffle batter is now ready to be used.

Making the waffles

1. Preheat the waffle iron well, and brush the plates with butter or oil.
2. Using a ladle or ice cream scoop, pour the batter onto the waffle iron plate. Make sure not to overfill (adjust the batter amount after one test waffle at the start).
3. Sprinkle some of the toasted pecans on top, and close the waffle maker.
4. Cook the waffle until it's crisp and dark golden brown in color.
5. Carefully remove the waffle from the waffle maker, and let it cool on a wire rack.
6. If needed, place the cooked waffles in an oven, at the lowest heat setting, to keep them warm until they are served.
7. Serve with caramel apple compote.

Caramel apple compote (make this the previous day, for convenience)

1. Make the compote according to this apple compote recipe. Then let it cool in the fridge.
2. Before serving, gently warm the apple compote in the microwave. You can also warm the compote in a saucepan over low-medium heat on the stove.
3. Spoon the caramel apple compote over the waffles before serving. Top with whipped cream. Alternatively, serve the waffles with maple syrup and whipped butter.