What's wrong with my technique in this Belgian Liège Waffle recipe? I've been using this awesome recipe to make Belgian Liège waffles, but my results are never consistent. Could you guys help me reverse engineer the recipe a bit?


During the butter-adding phase in step 5, my dough typically balls up on the paddle very early on, even before the second mixing. What could be the most likely culprit? It drives me crazy that I can never get this step right!
What's the point of resting the dough for 1 minute between mixings in step 5?
What's the point of letting the batter bubble up in step 3?
Why refrigerate the dough overnight? Couldn't it be used to make waffles right after the 4-hour rising?


Thank you!
the amount of flour is likely the culprit.  Flour is very sensitive to moisture and can change volume a surprising amount so that the two cups may not be two cups.  Also make sure you are not scooping the flour out with your measuring cup,  but filling it with another implement before leveling off the top with a straight edge.
As you are after a not-quite-bread-like consistency, even though you are using high-gluten flour (in the bread flour called for) you don't want a full bread-like texture
Letting the yeast rise
Many sweet breads do something similar.  Cinnamon buns for example.  It again affects the crumb and texture of the final product.  It also slows down the yeast as it notes in the recipe when you refrigerate for just a little bit.  The rise the next morning should give you nice small bubbles.