Sourdough Discard Waffles Recipe

Quick and easy sourdough discard waffles are deliciously crispy outside and fluffy + chewy inside. This is a good recipe to have up your sleeve if you keep a starter or have discard to use up, and it's great for meal prep. These freeze and reheat beautifully, so they're perfect to have on hand for busy mornings!

Course Bread, Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine American

Keyword Sourdough Discard Waffles, Sourdough Discard Waffles Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Other Time (Optional): 30

Servings servings

Calories 324kcal

Author Faith Gorsky

Equipment

Waffle iron

Ingredients

1 cup full-fat buttermilk
1 cup sourdough discard or fed, active sourdough starter
1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly
1 large egg
6 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
Clarified butter or coconut oil (for the waffle iron)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the batter. Whisk together the buttermilk, sourdough discard, melted butter, egg, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and whisk to combine (be careful not to over-mix).
Let it sit (optional). If you have the time, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Otherwise, skip this step and cook the batter immediately. (See Notes.)
Cook. Preheat the waffle iron. Brush the inside with clarified butter or coconut oil. Add the waffle batter and cook until crispy, repeating until all the batter is cooked.
Enjoy. Serve with any toppings you like.

Notes

Optional 30 Minute Rest Time: If you have the time, let the batter sit for 30 minutes before cooking the waffles. This helps fully hydrate the flour and allows the gluten to relax. (You'll notice the batter will thicken a bit after sitting for 30 minutes; this is perfectly normal and what we want to happen.) This 30 minute rest helps yield the perfect waffles: light and fluffy inside and crispy outside, but your waffles will still be great if you skip this step!
Recipe Yield and Serving Size: This recipe makes about 1 liter of batter. My waffle maker makes 4-inch square waffles, and I get 10 to 12 waffles out of this recipe, which is 5 to 6 servings. Each serving is 2 waffles.
Cooking Time: Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for your waffle maker. In general, I’ve noticed that sourdough discard waffles are better (chewy inside and crispy outside) when I cook them just slightly longer than I’d cook other waffles.
Make Ahead: You can make the batter up to 12 hours ahead of time. This makes it a great option for brunch or a holiday breakfast. To do so, the night before, mix up your batter with everything except the baking powder and baking soda, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. Half an hour before you want to cook the waffles, let the batter sit and room temperature. After that, stir in the baking powder and baking soda, and cook the waffles as normal.
Storage: Cool to room temperature and then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To store longer, cool to room temperature, wrap each waffle individually (or flash freeze them), and then pop them into a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: You can reheat waffles from frozen (no need to thaw them first!) in a regular toaster, toaster oven, or regular oven:
- Regular toaster - Reheating waffles in a regular toaster is easy and convenient, and a good method to get them crispy again. Make sure the setting isn't set too high so they don't burn before they're warm all the way through.
- Toaster oven - Set your toaster oven to 350F. If your waffles are frozen, reheat them for 8 to 12 minutes, and if they're thawed, reheat them for about 5 minutes. If you like, you can flip them over so they heat more evenly.
- Regular oven - If you're reheating a lot of waffles at once, the regular oven is the best choice. Arrange the waffles in a single layer on a baking tray, cover with foil, and reheat for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on whether they're thawed or frozen. If you want them even crispier, remove the foil for the last couple minutes of reheating.

Nutrition