The other day I was looking for sourdough bread to dip into my 15-year-old balsamic vinegar and special extra virgin olive oil from Italy. I must have purchased three different sourdough loaves, all disappointing in texture, crumb, and overall taste. It was right then and there that I decided to make sourdough. I have been cooking professionally for more than 10 years and I have never made sourdough. It was time to research and test out how to prepare the best bread.
It all starts with the starter. This starter replaces yeast and gives sourdough that sour taste we all love. Now it came to my surprise that when you feed the starter, you have to discard a certain amount. Call me crazy, but I wanted to put that discarded starter to use. What can be better than whipping up some blueberry lemon sourdough waffles? This recipe is a cinch to put together and yields the airiest, fluffiest waffles I have ever had.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
Since I was using a sourdough starter that had just begun to ferment, these waffles did not have a strong sour taste. However, the older your sourdough starter, the stronger the flavors. I cannot wait to try this recipe once my starter ages to see how the flavor changes.
Start by mixing the starter with the flour, yogurt, brown sugar, and water. Like all recipes including starter, you're going to let the mixture sit out overnight. I feel like anytime I make anything with a sourdough starter, I have to plan several days because it always takes more than one day to prepare. Annoying? A little, but the result is always worth it.
The next day, prepare the remaining ingredients. Whisk the egg white until frothy. This helps create incredibly light waffles.
Mix everything, stir in the blueberries, and get your waffle maker ready. I normally do not need to spray the waffle maker with cooking spray, but it doesn't hurt in this instance because of the fresh blueberries.
Get ready for some serious sourdough waffle lovin' because these are delicious. And I mean, DELICIOUS. If you've been following ago, you'll know that I'm a waffle lover from my red velvet waffles, rosewater blueberry waffles, and yes, even green eggs and bacon waffle sandwich. Even so, these blueberry lemon sourdough waffles are one of my favorites. I skipped the maple syrup and had the waffles as is.
Even without the blueberries and lemons, these sourdough waffles were everything I wanted in a waffle and more. Light, crispy but also fluffy, just overall the perfect waffle. Now I know what I'm going to be making with my discarded starter every week!
Recipe
Blueberry Lemon Sourdough Waffles
Ingredients
- ½ cup discard starter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup yogurt
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 egg yolk and whites separated
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup fresh blueberries
Instructions
- Mix together starter with flour, yogurt, brown sugar and water. Let sit at room temperature overnight.
- Separate the egg. Whisk the egg white until frothy. Add the egg yolk, oil, salt, vanilla, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Add the starter mixture and baking soda, mixing just until combined. Stir in the fresh blueberries.
- Preheat your waffle maker. Pour waffle batter and cook until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve immediately.
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