Sourdough Waffles with whole grain
Once you make these Sourdough Waffles with whole grain, you’ll never go back to baking powder waffles again. Looking for a weekend breakfast or brunch recipe? Not anymore.
Nothing is better for breakfast than hot and fresh waffles dripping with real maple syrup and maybe a pat of melting butter.
But waffles must be eaten the minute they come off the waffle iron for maximum crunch. So I almost never order them out because they almost always disappoint.
But why would you want to go out for breakfast when you can make these lovelies in the comfort of your own kitchen? They’re crisp and light yet substantial.
Even though I’m a baker by profession, I’m definitely not a morning person. If you’re like me and prefer the least amount of work first thing in the morning, you’ll love this recipe.
Make the sponge the night before, then it takes about a minute to finish mixing the batter in the morning.
If you don’t have one, check out my post to learn How to Make a Sourdough Starter. Then check out my system to Feed and Maintain Sourdough Starter.
Why Sourdough Waffles are better than regular waffles:
- Make your sponge the night before with the unfed starter and the sponge will be active and ready to mix by the time you wake up hungry for breakfast.
- The sourdough starter and whole grains give the waffles a great bread-like chew.
- A little baking soda is added to react with the buttermilk in the batter.
- The baking soda gives the waffles a last minute lift for lightness.
- For maximum lift use the batter as soon as the baking soda is mixed in because the reaction happens upon mixing, not in the heat of the waffle iron.
- Serve them hot off the iron or hold them in a 200°F oven if you prefer to serve them all at once.
- The waffles freeze beautifully so extras can be placed in a freezer bag for another day. Just pop them in the toaster whenever the mood strikes.
Serve these Whole Grain Sourdough Waffles with real maple syrup. I’m a fan of Grade B Maple Syrup‘s strong flavor (it’s sometimes called Grade A extra dark).
For another sourdough breakfast treat, try these Sourdough Pancakes.
I know you hate to throw away that sourdough discard. Check out these recipes that use sourdough discard.
If you love this recipe, I’d appreciate a 5-star review!
Sourdough Waffle Recipe
Ingredients
Overnight Sponge
- 8 oz unfed sourdough starter (1 cup, 100% hydration)
- 5 oz unbleached All-Purpose Flour (1 cup, see note)
- 2 ½ oz whole wheat flour (½ cup)
- 2 ½ oz rye flour (½ cup)
- 2 oz granulated sugar (¼ cup)
- 16 oz buttermilk (2 cups)
Batter
- Sponge
- 3 oz unsalted butter (melted)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 8 oz unfed sourdough starter, 5 oz unbleached All-Purpose Flour, 2 ½ oz whole wheat flour, 2 ½ oz rye flour, 2 oz granulated sugar and 16 oz buttermilk. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight.
In the morning:
- Preheat the waffle iron. Preheat the oven if you want to hold the waffles before serving.
- Melt 3 oz unsalted butter in a small microwave safe measuring cup or bowl. Whisk 2 large eggs into the slightly warm butter. Add the butter mixture to the sponge. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon table salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda over the batter.
- Mix until the baking soda and salt are completely dispersed in the batter. Once the baking soda is added you should use the batter immediately.
- Make the waffles according to the waffle iron manufacturer's instructions. Serve waffles immediately or hold in a 200 °F warm oven till ready to serve.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
I have a sourdough rye starter that needs feeding and thought I might try it in your waffle recipe. Any suggestions? Thank you.
There is rye flour in the recipe. Depending how much rye flavor you want you could either go ahead with the recipe using your starter for a heartier waffle, or you can use all purpose in place of the rye flour in the recipe.
I just made these waffles and Wow are they yummy! I tried the first one and couldn’t believe how light and crispy they are. I just broke into pieces and lightly dipped into maple syrup. OMG so good… Thank you for the recipe 🙂
You’re welcome!
I’m so new to this but I’m wondering how it’s ok to leave the buttermilk/starter recipe out at room temperature overnight? it doesn’t need to be refrigerated? Thank you!
Hi Melissa, I am quite comfortable leaving the sponge overnight. The buttermilk is already a “soured” product and the batter will be cooked before consuming. That being said, if you’re not comfortable with it I would suggest that you feed the starter with 1/2 cup of the all purpose flour the night before so that it’s active by the morning. Then you can continue to mix the remaining flour with the buttermilk and set it aside for an hour or so to proof. Finish mixing the batter and cook as directed.
Thank you! I use a DIY buttermilk (2% milk and vinegar) so I also wondered if that would make any difference lol.
I don’t think so. Again, the milk is already soured.
Tried this recipe for the the first time this morning and was delightfully impressed. Excellent flavor and the perfect crispiness. My daughter was skeptical of “sourdough” waffles. No longer the case. But now she must get some starter from me for her use. My starter is 100 years old and will be kept alive for many many more years. It is great in brownies as well. Thanks for the wonderful recipe. Steve
We had these waffles last weekend. I love the depth of flavor from the whole grains. Wow, 100 year old starter! How did you get it?
Yes, Ive made them in round, like for Belgium waffles waffle maker and as I told, I had 7 of them. Now they are our family favorite recipe. Definitely saved as favorite recipe. Now exploring your other recipes. Thank you a lot!