For many years, I have had my own sourdough starter, which lives in the deep recesses of the refrigerator. On special occasions, when special people come to visit my home, I often make sourdough waffles. The starter unfailingly awakens when coaxed with a little warm water and flour and, after a night’s work, creates a yeasty smelling, bubbling, thick slurry just waiting for beaten egg whites and other ingredients. The resulting waffles are crispy-crunchy on the outside, but tender and moist on the inside. And they taste really good. That’s the good news. The bad news is that they are made with all white flour. I have been trying to reform them.

This week’s waffle recipe makes coarse, crunch, and very flavorful waffles. This is the season to pick up apples and pears from your local farmers’ market, which can be sautéed and used instead of syrup. Fresh strawberries cut up, along with a little maple syrup are really good too for a special treat. Because these are so substantial, 32 square inches of waffles per person is plenty, and maybe more than enough. (Two 4 inch squares ----- the recipe makes about 10 squares in my waffle iron ---- if your waffle iron is round, the area can be calculated by squaring the radius and multiplying times 3.14)

1 cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup coarse corn meal
¼ cup wheat germ or some type of multigrain hot cereal (obviously before it is made into hot cereal)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 cups low fat buttermilk
2 eggs, separated
¼ cup canola oil

Preheat your waffle iron real well. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks into the buttermilk. Beat the egg whites until there are soft peaks. Mix the dry ingredients gradually into buttermilk and egg yolk mixture. Stir in the canola oil, then fold in the egg whites. I use about 1/3 cup batter for each 4 inch square, and it doesn’t ooze out of the side. Let them cook until the steaming has almost stopped, so they get crispy and brown. You can keep the early batches warm in the oven while you cook the others, if you are feeding a crowd and want to be able to join them at the table. I think you will like these.

Serves 5

Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 355
Fat: 15 g
Saturated fat: 2 gm
Cholesterol: 89 mg
Carbohydrate: 44 gm
Fiber: 5 gm
Protein: 12 gm
Sodium: 818 mg

1 Comment Posted Post a comment below

MARLENA OTSUKA said...

Hello Dr. Marings,

I am most interested in your sour dough waffle recipe. I have starter dough in the refrigerator and would love to make waffles.
Can you possibly share it with me.

Thank you so much,

marlena otsuka

Note: So great to find someone else with a starter. Here's the recipe.

3/4 cup sourdough starter
1 1/2 cup very warm water
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour or white whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 tsp each salt and baking soda
1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar

The night before the big breakfast for friends and family, mix the starter, water, and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Replenish your starter with equal parts flour and water. Cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Overnight, the mixture will have a life of its own, climb up the sides of the bowl, then settle down to a bubbly mass by morning with a great sourdough aroma.

Preheat your waffle iron.

Separate the eggs adding the yolks to the batter. Add the canola oil. Mix the oil and yolks into the batter. Beat the
egg whites until you have soft peaks. Fold them into the batter. Mix in the salt, soda, and sugar. I use about a third cup of batter for each of the 4" squares in my waffle iron. You can do the math by calculating the area in square inches if your waffle iron is round.

I have made these 30-40 times over the years and they are better than any waffles i have had anywhere else. They are crispy and crackly on the outside and tender in the center. Let me know how you like them

POSTED: April 18, 2008 10:40 AM

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