1/2 cup warm water
1 package dry yeast
2 cups warm milk
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour (or bread flour)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Use a large mixing bowl (I use a 2-quart glass measuring cup with a spout) - the batter will rise to double its original volume.  Put the water in the mixing bowl and sprinkle in the yeast.  Let stand to dissolve for five minutes.

Add the milk, butter, salt sugar, and flour to the yeast mixture and beat until smooth and blended.  (You could actually do this all in the blender and transfer to another bowl to rise.)  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand overnight at room temperature.

Just before cooking the waffles, beat in the eggs, add the baking soda and stir until well mixed.  The batter will be very thin.  Pour about 1/2-3/4 cup batter into very hot waffle iron; bake until golden and crisp.  This batter will keep well for several days in the refrigerator*.

Makes about 8 waffles.

* The original recipe did not call for as much sugar; we found that we like these waffles even better the second or third day after mixing up - the batter gets a "fermented" quality that adds flavor.  Also, if you have some batter left in the refrigerator, it will mix nicely into the new batch you are just making - kind of like a sourdough starter. When refrigerating, allow extra room in the bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap as the batter may continue to rise.

Adapted from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook, Marion Cunningham from www.food.epicurious.com.