Sourdough Buttermilk Waffles

The best crispy waffles I’ve ever made. Not a yeast risen dough, the sourdough starter is used for flavor and volume. Uses “discard” or sourdough dormant right out of the fridge.

The only wheat flour in this recipe comes from a 50% hydration starter. The rest of the structure comes from starch, which means a) you don’t need to worry about over-mixing to produce too much gluten, and b) it yeilds a really crispy, airy waffle.

Ingredients:

• 227g sourdough starter (active or discard)
• 113g buttermilk
• 85g neutral oil
• 1 large egg
• 28g/2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 51g starch (corn, tapioca, potato, arrowroot, etc.)
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

1. Wisk together starter, buttermilk, oil, egg, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until the starter is dissolved and the rest of the ingredients are fully incorporated.
2. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients until smooth.
3. Set aside mixture for 30 minutes.
4. Pre-heat waffle iron. Add waffle batter to iron without any cooking oil, and cook until steam subsides.
5. Store on wire rack in 200°F oven until ready to serve.

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Notes:

• Original recipe from Ben Starr His recipes are great, but kinda hard to read when you’re quickly throwing stuff together, as he mixes ingredients, directions, and scientific explanations. That’s why I transcribed it here, even though the only change I made was to use metric exclusively for the weights.
• Important: do NOT oil the waffle iron if it’s non-stick. This recipe has enough fat in it to keep it from sticking.