Sourdough Discard Waffles

Hello again, readers! I know you just finished reading my recipe for Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches and just couldn't get enough of me! Like most other people stuck in quarantine, I decided to hop on the bandwagon and try my hand at making a sourdough starter. Now when you make a starter, every day you have to discard a portion of the starter and feed it with flour and water. But doesn't it seem wasteful to just throw out what you spent the last week or more growing and nurturing like a little baby?!

Thankfully my husband recently got a copy of Backwoods Home Magazine in the mail, which featured recipes using sourdough starter! So after looking through it, I settled on making Nate and myself a delicious batch of Sourdough Discard Waffles with toasted nuts.

Sourdough Discard Waffles

Sourdough Discard Waffles in the golden morning light

1 Egg, beaten
1 C Sourdough Discard
1 Lemon, zest only
1/4 C Vegetable or Canola Oil
1/4-1/2 C Milk
1/2 C Flour
1/8 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/4 Tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Sugar
3 Tbsp Mixed Nuts (I used hazelnuts, almonds and pecans)
Non-Stick Cooking Spray

In a small bowl, combine egg, sourdough discard, lemon zest, vegetable oil and milk. Set Aside.

In another bowl, combine all other ingredients.

Slowly sift dry ingredients into wet and whisk together until batter forms. If the batter is too thick, slowly add in up to 1/4 C of milk. Allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes before use.

While your batter is resting, heat your waffle iron until ready for use.

In a dry skillet, heat whole nuts on low until fragrant and toasted. Be careful! These can burn very quickly! After your nuts are toasty and warm, roughly chop.

When your iron is ready for use, spray liberally with non-stick cooking spray and pour 1/4-1/3 C of batter in each well of your waffle iron. Top each well with 1-2 Tsp of chopped nuts. Close and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the waffles release from the waffle iron.

Repeat until all batter and nuts are used.

These waffles are not your everyday waffles for sure. The sourdough flavor is present but in more of an aromatic element than the funky acidic taste that's typically in the bread. It's difficult to describe but it was utterly delicious when topped with butter and Grade A Maple Syrup.

If you happen to have some sourdough starter laying around, or for some reason want to make your own, I highly recommend trying out this recipe!