Sourdough Waffles. Crispy, Light, Delicious!

Apr 30

Written By

My love for sourdough has been an adventurous tale. When I first began my very first starter, years ago, I had absolutely zero success with it.

Breads were like bricks.

Pancakes were super sour.

Everything was bland and disgusting.

And then I came to the conclusion that this failure must be why everyone switched to commercially produced yeast back in the day - sourdough stinks!

But you know me, I'm a stubborn 'ol crazy person, and so I decided to give it a go, again, by making my own starter the Nourishing Traditions way - from scratch, with freshly ground rye flour. I had mediocre success with this starter, sometimes it worked great, sometimes it didn't. I found that after awhile, the sourdough starter got a little skanky smelling.

Sorry, I realize skanky probably isn't the best adjective there, but it's what came to mind.

I have since thrown that starter out and have relished in the success of my third, and by far my most successful starter. This starter was also made from scratch, but instead of the traditional sourdough starter which is made with freshly ground whole grain flour, I've opted instead to use organic, unbleached all purpose flour for this starter.

The difference is night and day.

This starter is super active, raises breads incredibly well, and smells very pleasant. It doesn't impart an overly sour or skanky smell or taste into anything I've baked with it - it's very mild, which I enjoy.

And while organic, unbleached all purpose flour may not be completely traditional for a sourdough starter, I've found it to make the difference between wanting to bake with sourdough and not wanting to bake with sourdough. So I think I'll stick with it.

That being said, I've seriously made the mostly incredibly delicious sourdough waffles from it. And share the recipe, I must! I've traditionally made these delicious soaked waffles, which are also wonderful, though they do require a bit more work. I also really enjoy fermenting the flour with sourdough so I'm really working on incorporating it wherever I can. Sourdough works on the grains to break them down and ferment them so that our bodies can absorb and digest the grains very easily.

It's pretty frickin' awesome.

You can read my post on starting your own sourdough starter here. Simply sub-out the rye flour for white flour, if that is your choice. I also feed my starter twice per day now - once after breakfast dishes and once after dinner dishes. Easy peasy.

You can also find sourdough starters online (like here!), which can make it easier to establish a healthy starter.

Sourdough Waffles

For great recipes monthly make sure to check out The Elliott Homestead Cooking Community HERE.

You will need:
- 5 tablespoons active sourdough starter (fed within the last 12 hours) Find cultures here
- 1 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger (fresh or dry)
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

Step One: Combine the sourdough starter, milk, and whole wheat flour together in a bowl. Cover and let sit overnight (at least 12 hours is ideal).

Step Two: The next morning, beat the eggs and milk until frothy. Add in the vanilla extract and melted butter. Mix to combine.

Step Three: Add the baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt to the egg mixture.

Step Four: Lastly, add the flour mixture in with the egg mixture. Stir gently until just combined.

Step Five: Bake the waffles in a preheated waffle iron. I'm still waiting on this beauty to come in the mail - my love for cast iron knows no bounds. Love, love, love. Especially since it can be used directly on the stove!

This recipe makes enough for 4-6 large waffles.

Which means you can eat at least 3 and share 1 with someone else.

I like strawberries on mine with a slight dribble of maple syrup.

I like butter and maple syrup, too.

I like fig jam, too.

I like peanut butter and strawberry preserves, too.

I like it all.

These waffles are light as air, crispy on the outside, soft and delicious on the inside. Which is why I've made them half a dozen times in the last few weeks. They are FANTASTIC. And easy. Which makes me love them all the more.

Anyway.

That's all I have to share with you today. These delicious sourdough waffles.

So...

This is awkward...

You should probably stop reading now. I really don't have anything else to say about them.

They're delicious? Oh wait...I already said that...

Dangit...

Just stop! I shan't say anymore about them.

Go get your sourdough starter goin'.

...

Good day.