Sourdough Discard Waffles Recipe

Learn how to make my sourdough discard waffles recipe. I’ve got two options: one with added flour, and one that uses just sourdough discard!

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So you have a jar of sourdough discard sitting in your fridge. What do you do with it?

Sourdough discard waffles, that’s what!

I’ve got 2 different methods for you: one where you add extra flour and buttermilk, and the other where you simply use the sourdough discard as the base.

These have more flavor than regular waffles thanks to the yeastiness and tanginess of the sourdough flavor.

Okay, let’s dive in and I’ll show you how to make my easy sourdough starter waffles!

Here’s a video tutorial in case you learn better that way.

The written tutorial is below!

Method 1: Adding Flour and Buttermilk

For the first method, you’ll be adding flour and buttermilk to the base of the batter. This helps to give the waffle batter a great texture.

If your discard is pretty far gone, this is probably the  method you’ll want to use since the extra flour will give it more structure.

Ingredients:

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The batter is very similar to my sourdough pancakes recipe with a few minor tweaks. 

• 1 cup or 240 grams of sourdough discard: I’ll discuss sourdough discard in more detail in the next section!
• 230 grams or 1 cup of buttermilk: Quick tip – you can mix together ¾ cup of plain yogurt with ¼ cup of milk to make a buttermilk substitute.
• 1 cup or 120 grams of all purpose flour: I like to use organic all purpose flour, but you could also use half whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavor. Keep in mind that the waffles won’t be as crisp and light if you use a whole grain flour.
• 2 tablespoons of sugar, maple syrup, honey, or sweetener of choice: This is optional, but it does add a lovely hint of sweetness. Since sourdough discard can be quite sour, it’s nice to offset it it with a bit of sweetener. 
• 6 tablespoons of salted butter, melted: You know me: I love use grass-fed butter whenever and wherever possible. You could substitute refined coconut oil if you prefer, but then you’ll want to increase the salt slightly. 
• 1 large egg: This helps to bind the batter together. It also adds a little bit of protein!
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract: This is optional, and you can substitute another extract such as almond or lemon if you prefer.
• ½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt: I use Redmond Real Salt. If you use a refined salt, you may want to reduce the amount since it tends to taste saltier than unrefined. 
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda: Since the sourdough discard and buttermilk are acidic, you don’t need baking powder in addition to the baking soda.

What is Sourdough Discard?

Now let me define sourdough discard for a second.

It’s basically leftover sourdough starter that’s been fed and allowed to sit and ferment. Usually when people are talking about discard, they’re referring to starter that has gone a little too long, has deflated and lost its air bubbles, and isn’t good for baking.

This is sometimes called unfed sourdough starter. These waffles are a great way to put your excess sourdough starter to good use!

But you can still make these waffles with starter that’s at peak fermentation. However, you don’t want to use starter that’s JUST been fed.

If you don’t have your own sourdough starter just yet, make sure to check out my post about How to Make a Sourdough Starter from Scratch. 

How to Make Sourdough Discard Waffles

Okay, let’s make these!

First, mix together the sourdough discard, buttermilk, flour, and sweetener together in a large mixing bowl.

Set that aside to let the batter ferment and rest for 20-30 minutes. You could also do an overnight rest in the refrigerator or at room temperature if that works better for you, but it’s not necessary. 

After the batter has rested, add the melted butter, egg, vanilla, salt, and baking soda to the starter mixture. Mix well.

Now if you’d like the waffles to be lighter and crispier, you can beat the egg white separately to stiff peaks and fold that into the batter.

This isn’t necessary, but if you’re feeling fancy you can do the extra step.

You can also make up the batter for these and refrigerate for up to 3 days. The gluten will start to break down and the waffles will be more crumbly, but they’ll still taste delicious. And it’s a great way to have the batter completely ready when you wake up!

Cooking the Waffles

Next, cook according to your waffle iron’s instructions. I use a cast iron waffle iron, so I have to preheat it for about 10 minutes before I cook these. 

A Belgian waffle maker should work just fine as well.

I use about 1/2 cup of batter per waffle, but how much batter you use will depend on the size of your waffle maker. 

A ladle is perfect for transferring the sourdough waffle batter to the hot iron.

By the way, you can keep these warm in a 200 degree Fahrenheit or 93 degree Celsius oven. Place an oven-safe wire cooling rack on a baking sheet, and then place the hot waffles in a single layer on top of that to keep them crispy.

BTW, If you stack the waffles, they will lose their crispiness.

 

Serving

You can simply serve these with butter and maple syrup.

Or you can get creative and turn these into a weekend breakfast! Some of my favorite toppings are fresh fruit, fruit syrup, lemon curd, whipped cream, peanut butter and bananas, etc. 

Chocolate chips would also be lovely to sprinkle on top of the cooked waffles. 

You could turn these into a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Or you could also go for savory toppings such as cheese, prosciutto, bacon, fried chicken, fried mushrooms or onions, fresh herbs, Hollandaise sauce, etc. 

Storing:

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer in freezer bags for more long-term storage.

Method 2

Okay, that was the first method. Now let me show you how to make a different method where you don’t add any extra flour.

Ingredients:

For these you’ll need:

• 2 ½ cups or 600 grams of sourdough starter discard
• 2 tablespoons of sugar, maple syrup, honey, or sweetener of choice,
• 6 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, room temperature if possible
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon of unrefined sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda: Again, this is the only leavening agent you need!

Mixing the Batter:

Instead of mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately, we’ll be mixing everything together at once!

First, whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

You may want to break apart any clumps of baking soda in your hand before adding it to the batter.

Again, you can add the egg yolks to the batter and beat the egg whites separately and fold them into the batter, but it isn’t necessary. 

Cooking:

Fry the batter in a hot waffle iron. 

Again, you can keep them warm in a 93 degree C or 200 degree F oven if you don’t plan on eating them fresh out of the iron.

These may sacrifice a tiny bit in the texture department over the first method, but they’re still really good. Plus they’re super easy, and they use up quite a bit of sourdough starter.

So that’s how to make my easy sourdough waffles! 

If you need more ideas for what to make with your leftover sourdough discard, make sure to check out the recipe below!

More Sourdough Discard Recipes:

• Sourdough Dutch Baby
• Sourdough Banana Bread

More Sourdough Recipes:

• Overnight Sourdough Waffles
• Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
• Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread
• Sourdough Pancakes
• Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe
• Soft Sourdough French Bread without Yeast
• BEST Sourdough English Muffins
• Sourdough Tortillas
• Sourdough Donut Recipe
• Homemade Sourdough Hamburger Buns
• Sourdough Pull Apart Dinner Rolls
• Sourdough Brioche
• Artisan Sourdough Bread
• Sourdough Sandwich Bread
• Soft Sourdough French Bread

Homemade Waffles Recipes:

• Gluten Free Savory Waffles
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Waffles
• Cornmeal Waffles

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