Sourdough Waffles

 

We love waffles at our house. They are a traditional Saturday or Sunday brunch (or lunch) item. (When you have teenagers, they call it breakfast. For me, it's lunch. Ha!) I almost always make my favorite oat waffles, and sometimes I change it up with bananas or pumpkin, but these.  These sourdough waffles.

These waffles are SO good. They truly melt in your mouth. And the overnight sponge gives them just enough sour flavor to be SO incredibly delicious. How many times can I capitalize SO? 

These do take an extra little bit of effort, since you prepare the sponge the night before, then let it sit out on the counter all night. This seems weird, especially with two cups of milk included, but it's what gives these waffles their outrageous lightness and flavor.

These also only work if you have a sourdough starter. I know. I really try to refrain from posting recipes that are too specialized, and this is one. However, if you don't have a friend to give you some starter, you can make your own. I assure you that it will be worth it! Plus once your starter is activated and ready to go, you can make bread, too! I've been making our sourdough bread and it's SO good. (There I go again with the capital SO.)

Make these waffles and have a great day, or weekend. You'll still be thinking about them hours and days later, I promise!

Sourdough Waffles

Sponge:

2 cups flour

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup sourdough starter (discard is fine too!)

2 Tbsp. sugar

Batter:

2 eggs

1/4 cup vegetable oil

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

For the sponge, in a large bowl or batter bowl, combing the flour, sugar and buttermilk and whisk well. Stir in the starter, then cover and let sit in a cool place (or on the counter if your house is not above 70!) for 8-12 hours. 

(If there is a time lapse between the 12 hours and making the waffles, it's ok to stick the batter in the fridge. For example, I made the sponge on Saturday night, put in the fridge 12 hours later, then returned from church to finish the recipe.)

Add the eggs, oil, salt and baking soda to the sponge and stir well to combine. It will also "grow" because of the baking soda, so hopefully your bowl was big enough!  

Pour the batter onto a preheated waffle iron. Note that sourdough waffles spread quite a bit, so you might want to use less than "normal."  Cook according to your waffle maker's guidance.  Enjoy with syrup, berries and cream, or your favorite toppings!