Weekend breakfasts call for something special! Some of other favorite breakfast foods to make on weekends are Green Chili Egg Casserole, French Toast, Crepes, and German Pancakes. We kind of have a thing for waffles around here. From liege waffles, which are the kind made from a yeast dough with sugar pearls kneaded in, to the American-style Belgian waffles, to these over-the-top decadent Cinnamon Roll Waffles, they are one of our favorite breakfast foods. So obviously once I had a strong sourdough starter and began looking for ways to use my discard so it didn’t just go to waste, I was tempted by the thought of sourdough waffles. Easily, these are our favorite thing to make with sourdough discard so far. Sourdough waffles are a tangy, crispy, and delicious breakfast like you’ve never had before. You will use a portion of your sourdough starter discard to create a “sponge”, which is just a fancy word for a batter-like mixture that sits out at room temperature overnight so the flavor can develop slowly over a period of time. It’s just a combination of sourdough start discard, flour, sugar, and buttermilk that gets mixed together until it looks like a thick pancake batter. The next morning when you wake up, just stir in eggs, baking soda, and vanilla and heat up the waffle maker! You’ll have hot, amazing waffles in no time! If you don’t happen to plan ahead and whip up the batter the night before, you can totally skip the overnight rest and still have pretty darn excellent waffles. The sourdough flavor just won’t be as pronounced as when it has time to develop for the longer period. These sourdough starter waffles go great with fresh berries and sweetened whipped cream. The mix of the tangy with the sweet is unbeatable, especially with a little real maple syrup drizzled over the top.
Ingredients in sourdough waffles
Unfed sourdough discard: This is the stuff that you would otherwise toss before feeding your sourdough. It can be room temp or straight from the fridge. Just stir down your sourdough starter that is no longer active, measure off enough for these waffles, then feed the rest as usual.FlourButtermilk: I’m partial to buttermilk, but you could actually get away with milk in this recipe if buttermilk isn’t available. Or make a buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice to a 1 cup measuring cup, then filling it up the rest of the way with milk. After letting that sit for 5 minutes, you’ve got a great buttermilk substitute!Baking sodaEggsSugarSaltVanillaButter: I use salted butter. If using unsalted, just add an extra pinch of salt to your waffle batter.
How to Make Sourdough Waffles
What goes with sourdough waffles?
Practically anything! If you can picture it tasting great with “normal” waffles then it shouldn’t be hard to imagine it with these sourdough waffles. We love it with bacon and eggs to round things out, but some yogurt and fresh fruit would be great on the side as well. Or pair them with fried chicken for chicken and waffles! You can also top them with your favorite toppings. Syrup and whipped cream are the obvious choices, but jam, peanut butter, nutella, cookie butter, mini chocolate chips, or apple butter are also all great choices!
What kind of syrup do you put on sourdough waffles?
Classic maple syrup is always a good idea with sourdough waffles, but we also love warm buttermilk syrup. I also have a coconut syrup and apple cider syrup that you might love to try!
More breakfast recipes you’ll love
Make Ahead Breakfast SandwichesSour Cream Coffee CakeMacadamia Nut Sticky BunsEasy Streusel Topped Raspberry MuffinsEasy Ultimate Breakfast FrittataFarmhouse Baking Powder BiscuitsGerman PancakesEasy Breakfast BraidBacon Egg Potato Breakfast SkilletGerman Apple Pancakes with Cider SyrupHoe Cakes (Easy Cornmeal Pancakes)Danish PancakesFluffy Toasted Coconut PancakesHomemade Chocolate Crepes
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