Sourdough Discard: Crispy Waffles

When I was a kid, my dad would make breakfast with us every Saturday morning. It was usually Bisquick pancakes but every so often we would deviate from the pancakes to enjoy some Bisquick waffles. I always loved the waffles because we had the perfect waffle irons. Crispy hearts or a Mickey Mouse waffle iron…the kind where the syrup would puddle and soak in the Mickey ears and they tasted oh so delicious. At that time, I didn’t so much care about the flavor of my waffles…just the fact that I could drown them in syrup and enjoy them on Saturday morning.

Our Favorite “scratch-Made” Waffles

Since I’ve had my own family, I care a little bit more about the recipes and I love the challenge of making recipes as “homemade” and “from scratch” as possible. We’ve had our fair share of waffles over the years and this recipe is one that I keep coming back to. It uses up a whole cup of sourdough discard, can be whipped up the night before and kept in the fridge until ready to make and they taste divine. Crispy, crunchy but so soft and flavorful. These sourdough discard waffles are begging to be made ASAP.

You can Easily substitute Whole Wheat Flour in these Waffles

Another thing I love about them is how easily you can substitute whole wheat flour for the all purpose flour in the recipe. If I’m being completely honest, I kind of love the flavor of the soft red wheat from our local mill in these waffles better than the plain all purpose flour. The subtle nuttiness of the whole wheat flour combines so well with the sourdough starter and pushes these already perfect waffles over the top. Check out my post all about different types of flours and why soft wheat would be a good option here.

This recipe can be made the night before for easy preparation and more flavor

If you want a stronger yeast/sourdough flavor and an easy start to your morning, the waffle batter can be made the night before, combining all the ingredients except for the baking soda, powder, salt and vanilla (stir those in right before you make the waffles). You can also thin the batter with a little extra milk or buttermilk if you think it needs it.

I love whipping up some heavy whipping cream, slicing some berries and warming up some syrup to make these waffles a decadent breakfast treat. We also often double the recipe and make the extras to freeze for quick breakfasts throughout the school year. You can toast the waffles to reheat them if you want them crispy or just warm them up a bit in the microwave, if you prefer them less crispy. However you eat them, I think these waffles are the best I’ve ever made…and I’ve made a lot of waffles. I enjoy them best crisp and hot off the waffle press. I hope you love them as much as we do.

Sourdough Discard Waffles

Yield: 12-14 waffles

Time: 10 minute mix, 30 minute cook, 12 hour overnight in fridge (optional)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour (about 5 ounces), whole wheat flour works well here too
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 cup sourdough discard 
• ¾ cup milk
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 2 eggs

Overnight Option: After adding these ingredients, refrigerate the batter and add the following ingredients in the morning. If making the same day, add the following ingredients right away:

• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Using a whisk, mix together the flour and cornstarch in a bowl. Add sourdough discard, milk, buttermilk, vegetable oil, sugar and eggs. Whisk together until fully combined. At this point you can refrigerate the batter overnight for about 12-24 hours or you can continue with the recipe and make the waffles right away. Refrigerating the batter at this point will give the waffles more flavor but both options are delicious. 
2. Pull the batter out of the fridge, if refrigerated, and continue adding ingredients: baking soda, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Stir until fully incorporated. 
3. Heat waffle irons and put about ⅓ – ½ cup of waffle batter onto hot iron. Bake according to the directions on your waffle iron. Ours usually take 2-3 minutes per waffle.
4. Serve immediately with hot syrup, berries or even powdered sugar and whipped cream. The possibilities are endless! These waffles are crispy, light and delicious eaten warm. They can be re-toasted in the toaster to bring back a little bit of the crispiness if you want to freeze the extras for a later time. Enjoy!

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Recipe Notes: Whole wheat flour works really well in this recipe. I use a soft red wheat with a low protein content. This recipe also works well with “make your own” buttermilk. To one cup of milk add 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice OR 1 Tablespoon white vinegar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before using in the recipe.

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