How do you make crisp ham and cheese waffles that do not stick?

In short:

1. Ham and cheese waffles are made with a sugar-free waffle batter, salted and peppered.
2. For eight waffles: 250 g of flour, 3 eggs, 350 ml of milk, 80 g of butter, 100 g of grated cheese, 150 g of ham.
3. Cheese in the batter sticks: a very hot iron, plates oiled every two waffles.
4. Three ways to fill them: in the batter, between two waffles croque-style, or on top for cured ham.

Ham and cheese waffles are the simplest savoury version of a waffle, and one of the most effective at brunch: they can be made ahead, eaten by hand and cost a few euros for a whole table. The recipe rests on a single principle, a waffle batter with the sugar taken out, and on a few precautions so the cheese browns instead of sticking.

The savoury batter, for eight waffles

No sugar. That is the difference between a sweet batter and a savoury one, and it has a second advantage: sugar caramelises and sticks to the plates, so leaving it out partly offsets the cheese, which does stick.

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2. Make a well, add the eggs and start whisking while pouring in the milk little by little, to avoid lumps.
3. Stir in the lukewarm melted butter, then the pepper and nutmeg.
4. Add the cheese and ham last, with a spatula.
5. Rest for 15 to 30 minutes. The flour hydrates, the batter thickens slightly and holds better in the iron.

For a lighter waffle, the eggs can be separated and the whites whisked to stiff peaks and folded in at the end. The method and the other levers of crispness, starch included, are covered in the article on crisp and fluffy waffles. They apply as they are to the savoury version.

Choosing the cheese

The cheese decides the texture as much as the flavour.

• Comté, emmental, gruyère: cooked pressed cheeses that melt without releasing water and brown on contact with the plate. Comté has the most flavour, emmental is the stringiest.
• Cheddar or mimolette: also work, with a stronger colour.
• Mozzarella: avoid it in the batter. It releases a lot of water and makes the waffle soft.
• Parmesan: the crust trick. A spoonful sprinkled straight onto the hot plate, with the batter poured on top, gives a very crisp surface of grilled cheese.

Beyond 100 g of cheese for this amount of batter, the waffle becomes heavy and sticks more and more.

Choosing the ham

Cooked ham is the right choice for the batter. Cut into small 5 mm dice and patted dry with kitchen paper, it spreads through the whole waffle without creating pockets of water. Bigger pieces leave holes in the waffle and come away when it is cut.

Cured ham does not go into the batter. In the iron, it dries out and concentrates its salt. It is laid on the cooked waffle, in thin slices, at serving time.

Three ways to fill them

The croque version needs slightly thinner waffles, otherwise the whole thing gets thick and hard to eat. It is the one most often found on brunch menus, served with salad.

The on-top version follows the logic of savoury toast: a crisp base, a topping added at the last moment. With cured ham, rocket and a drizzle of olive oil, it takes two minutes once the waffles are cooked.

Cooking

• Preheat the waffle iron for at least ten minutes. A lukewarm plate makes a pale, soft waffle that sticks.
• Brush the plates with oil before the first waffle, then every two waffles. With cheese in the batter, this step is not optional, even on a non-stick coating.
• Do not overfill. The batter rises and overflows, and cheese running over the edges burns.
• Allow 4 to 5 minutes depending on the iron, without opening. A waffle that resists opening is not cooked: close it again for a minute.

Serving at brunch

A savoury waffle straight from the iron goes soft within minutes if stacked: the steam gets trapped. Laying them flat on a rack, in a 100 °C oven, keeps them hot and crisp while the whole batch cooks.

To make a complete plate:

• An egg on top, poached or fried. The runny yolk acts as a sauce. The poached egg timing can be lined up with the last waffle.
• A salad dressed with a mustardy vinaigrette, which cuts through the richness of the cheese.
• A dip of fromage frais, chives and lemon.

To drink, a filter coffee or a small glass of squeezed juice goes better with savoury food than hot chocolate. For the juice, the guidance on orange juice in the morning applies at brunch too.

What it costs, home versus brunch

A filled savoury waffle commonly sells for 12 to 16 euros on a brunch menu, often with a salad. At home, the recipe’s ingredients, ham and comté included, come to about 5 to 6 euros for eight waffles, less than a euro per waffle. It is one of the brunch dishes with the biggest gap, for a technique that needs nothing more than a waffle iron.

The mistakes that ruin ham and cheese waffles

• Keeping the sweet batter of a classic recipe. Sugar and cheese together taste off and make a waffle that sticks.
• Salting like a plain batter. Ham and cheese already bring plenty of salt: one teaspoon for the whole batter is enough.
• Cutting the ham too big. The pieces leave holes and fall out.
• Using mozzarella in the batter: the waffle stays soft.
• Stacking the waffles while waiting to serve. The steam makes them soggy in five minutes.

Frequently asked questions