Savory Sourdough Waffles
These waffles have a savory surprise inside and are also a tasty way to use up sourdough discard.
Most bakers who maintain a sourdough starter have their go-to recipes for the discard–the leftover starter that gets tossed in the trash after a small amount has been set aside for future bakes. Crackers, pancakes, waffles and breadsticks are the most popular uses for what others say is “spent fuel” (the microorganisms have already consumed the sugar in the flour), so disposing of this excess starter shouldn’t stir up guilty feelings due to wastefulness.
I admit to being an excess starter tosser most of the time, especially in summer when my baking days are few and far between and my Ida is fed only once every three weeks. Since I don’t maintain a lot of starter I’ve convinced myself that discarding about one-third cup of it every few weeks is no major sin.
But today, after feeding Ida and setting aside a small portion for tomorrow’s bake, I couldn’t bring myself to toss what was left in the jar. It was nearing lunch and my fuel tank needed a fill-up after my light, smoothie breakfast. I had roughly 80 grams of leftover starter–not much, really, but with my weekly bakes the discarded amount had started to add up. So not a single gram of this batch was going to waste.
I’ve made crackers, breadsticks and even this bread with sourdough discard before. This time, I had a hankering for waffles so I threw together a small bowl of batter, adding wheat bran to up the nutrition and ham and cheese for a savory surprise. I went against the normal rule of letting the sourdough batter rest overnight but it turned out not to be a problem.
What the waffles lacked in lift they made up for in flavor. They weren’t dense; rather, they were thin, crisp on the outside and just enough to encase the ham and cheese inside. Drizzled with just a little maple syrup I enjoyed the balance of savory and sweet. The subtle savory touch here worked for me but if you want a cheesier, meatier waffle, this batter can accommodate more of both. Even better is that you can prepare these ahead of time and freeze the rest to enjoy later. And no starter waste!
Savory Sourdough Waffles
Ingredients
- 80 grams sourdough starter
- 100 grams all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup wheat bran
- 1 tablespoon sugar add one more tablespoon for more noticeable sweetness
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch kosher salt
- 100 grams milk
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons melter butter
- 2-3 slices ham I had thin slices
- 40 grams grated cheese for a cheesier waffle you can add up to twice more cheese
Instructions
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In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, wheat bran, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
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In another bowl whisk the milk and egg together, followed by the sourdough starter until combined.
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Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, followed by the butter. Stir until just combined then stir in the ham pieces and cheese.
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Scoop a 1/4 cup amount of the batter and pour onto your heated waffle iron. Repeat for the remainder of the batter. Serve warm.
Recipe Notes
This recipe can easily be multiplied according to the amount of sourdough starter you have to use. If you wish, you can also add more ham and cheese.
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I love the idea of savory waffles, these are the perfect weekend brunch idea!
A waffle maker is a beautiful thing, isn’t it!? These look absolutely insanely good- definitely need to try!
It really is! It’s a great shortcut for grilled cheese sandwiches. Actually, I think I use it more for sandwiches than waffles. Thanks so much, Karly! 🙂
I hope I do the starter you are sending me proud! I’m a notorious “tosser” and I really want to get into a better routine this time. Lessons to be learned here in this post. GREG
This definitely looks crisp and savory! Love the use of sourdough and I like the idea of no-waste cooking 😉 This is such a perfect anytime meal!
Savory Sourdough Waffles is yummy ant tasty dessert.
Hi! How can I substitute the wheat bran? Thanks for sharing recipes
Hi, you can just substitute the wheat bran for more flour. 🙂
This rescued my teenage boys husband and I from a bought unhealthy lunch, I had baked my first sourdough loaf in years this morning and it’ failed (inedible) but I have good reason to believe it’s my 7 day old starter … anyhoo, I’m back to strengthening so am feeding more / often and discarding… I had kimchi with mine, husband had green tomato chilli chutney , one son had honey on his and the other had peanut butter and more cheese…. I doubled the recipe and there’s enough for 6.. had no ham but honestly a keeper! I’m thinking corn , pineapple, so many things … thanks heaps !!!!
Gosh, I love all the flavor combinations you and your family came up with. So glad you like this recipe. Thanks so much for trying it, Rach.