Sourdough Waffles

This recipe is great if lacking time to let a sourdough "overnight sponge" rise overnight. Given a day's start, recipe "Sourdough Waffles Overnight" at http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/recipes/sourdough-waffles-overnight.html is preferable.

Yields:

4-8 waffles, depending on waffle iron size

Time Required:

• prep: 5 mins.
• cooking: 10 mins.
• total: 15 mins.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup¹ (125 g) flour, more as needed
• 2 Tbsp. (25 g) sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. (7.2 g) baking powder
• 1 tsp. (5.9 g) salt
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup (120 ml) milk, more as needed
• 6 to 8 oz. (170 to 225 g, about ¾ cup) sourdough starter
• 3 Tbsp. (42.5 g) butter, melted, slightly cooled

Preparation:

In medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt, until well mixed.

In separate medium bowl, whisk eggs and milk until well mixed. Whisk in sourdough starter, until completely blended. Add flour mixture and melted butter; stir to combine. Batter should be the thickness of pancake batter: Depending on how much starter you added, you may need more flour or milk, to reach desired consistency.

Cook in heated waffle iron, according to manufacturer's directions.

Cook's Notes:

Equipment needed: waffle iron, two medium bowls.

The recipe author, Lindsey Farr, says she uses 3.5 oz. sourdough starter to make light, crispy waffles with mild sourdough flavor, and adds more milk, a bit at a time between whiskings, to adjust texture. Don't let batter sit long, as it will thicken. Accordingly, make batter immediately before use.

Storage: After cooking completely on a wire rack, refrigerate waffles in an airtight container up to 5 days, or freeze them up to 3 months.

Recipe also makes good pancakes on a greased griddle.

¹ Cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons are as defined in US Customary Units, not to be confused with differing British imperial, "legal", "coffee", Commonwealth of Nations, Canadian, Latin American, Japanese, Russian, or Dutch defintions — further proof that everyone needs the metric system.

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Collected and re-published at http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/recipes/sourdough-waffles.html by Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> on Mar. 23, 2025. Individual recipes are free from copyright. Share and enjoy!

Special thanks to talented Chef Lindsey Farr for her generosity and talent. Chef Farr's recipe, which she says she adapted from Serious Eats, appeared at https://www.girlversusdough.com/sourdough-waffles/

I cannot praise enough King Arthur Baking as a learning resource for cooks new to sourdough (among other things). For one starting point, visit here: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/sourdough.

As you will learn from those experts, a "sourdough starter" (also called "sourdough mother") is a SCOBY, a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast. It may sound alarming to keep bacteria or yeast, not to mention a symbiotic colony of both, in your refrigerator, but it's not: The lactobaccili and acetic acid bacteria, and yeast organisms cohabiting with them, don't want to hurt you or other food in your refrigerator, and will happily live in the cooled home you give them: In my case, I use a leftover 32 oz. plastic yogurt container. As King Arthur Baking teaches, you just give the colony a meal of water and flour about every week, and it'll be fine.

(If I have any copyright title in my own very minor contributions to this page — not my intention — they were created in 2025 by Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> and licensed for use under CC0. The image file (photograph) was taken on Mar. 23, 2025, also by Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> and licensed for use under CC0. I have thereby waived all copyright, compilation copyright, and related or neighbouring rights to this work. This work is published from: United States of America.)