Add the warm milk, active dry yeast and brown sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk and rest for 10 minutes to activate the yeast
Add the flour, egg, salt and vanilla, and knead using the dough hook attachment for 3 minutes until a dough forms
Add the softened butter, and knead on medium-high speed for about 5 minutes until the butter is incorporated and a soft, stretchy dough forms
Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles in size (about 60 minutes)
Once the dough has risen, flatten it out on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle over half of the pearl sugar, press in, and roll up the dough. Flatten it again and repeat with the other half of the pearl sugar. Stretch and knead the dough to fully incorporate the pearl sugar in it
Pre-heat the waffle maker for about 10 minutes
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts
Working one piece at a time, cook the waffles until they are golden and cooked through. The exact time will depend on your waffle maker, but for me ~6-7 minutes on medium heat worked best
Serve with Nutella and fresh berries (or on their own), and enjoy!
