Mix the dry ingredients, flour and granulated sugar, in a large mixing bowl.
Mix water, egg yolks, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Whisk in melted butter.
Beat egg whites in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy, 1–2 minutes, then increase speed to high and beat until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Gently but thoroughly fold the egg whites into the batter.
Pour about 1 cup of the batter (or enough batter to fill pockets in iron) into a hot waffle iron; immediately lower waffle iron lid and cook until waffles are golden-brown and crisp, about 5 minutes.
Serve immediately with strawberries, whipped cream, and powdered sugar.
Over mixing the egg white causes the wet mix to clump, causing the mix to not cook with the same ‘fluff’.
This recipe works best at room temperature. For best results, pull/prepare batter first thing in the morning and let stand until needed.
If preparing the mix the evening before needed, omit the whisked eggs until the next morning by letting the batter temper up closer to room temperature and folding in gently as needed.