Crispy sourdough waffles.

Over the week-end I’ve been finally baking with my revived sourdough starter again. I’ll keep my first attempt for tomorrow, since I need to check a few details. So today, as a starter, if you want, I’ll introduce a “side-product” of sourdough baking. One of the disturbing aspects of keeping a starter is, for me, the constant removal of a part of it: each day a share of your starter, if unused, ends up in the toilet. What, first I have to grow it as if it were my own son, and then I have to dump it? Are you kidding? Problem is, if you don’t and if you don’t bake every single day, you’ll end up with a gigantic amount of starter taking up all your space. Just imagine going to your landlord and telling him you’ve sub-leased his flat to two hundred cubic meters of starter! Consequently, throwing away part of my starter every day is the only solution. I do keep my eyes closed when I flush it though.

Is there a way to stop this waste? Well, at least in part there is. Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery has a handy chapter at the end of her book with possible non-bread recipes using sourdough starter. My first choice would have been the onion rings but since I didn’t feel like frying I picked her Sourdough Waffles. This is the first recipe I tried that really gave crispy waffles: at least as long as my waffle iron was really hot and they didn’t sit around too long. Ideally one person should make the waffles while the other eat them: cruel, I agree, but the waffle maker can always pick up the nicest ones for himself as perks and eat then while cooking the rest. They have a nice tart taste which is great match to maple syrup, marmalade and, obviously, Nutella. I actually find they taste great in a savoury version too, with ham or a simple cheddar for example. The only down-side is that it might happen, as it did to me, that one of your breakfast guests bites into one expecting a sweet waffle and ends up making a disgusted face. Better make it clear from the start that these are not sweet or maybe add some sugar to the batter just before making the waffles.

Sourdough Waffles (from Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery)

Heat the following in a pot till butter is melted and let cool to room temperature

4 oz (115 g) butter
8 oz (225 g) milk

Add the milk-butter mixture to

9 oz (255g) starter
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp (packed) brown sugar
6 oz (170 g)all purpose flour

Mix these together to form a thick batter, cover with wrap and let stand for 8-14 hours. If you do this before going to bed, you’ll have the dough ready for breakfast next day.

Once the time’s up heat your waffle iron (for at least 10 minutes) and, if needed (mine is non-stick), slightly brush the iron with oil. Whisk 2 large eggs and 1/4 tsp baking soda in the dough. Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cups of dough on the waffle iron and close the lid. Let cook for 3-5 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 8-10 round 8 in waffles

Notes: I found that my waffle iron needed some time between each waffle to heat up again, about 2 minutes. If I skipped this step the waffles turned up not as crunchy.

Comments

[Owen]

I've used a method I found in one of my baking books (can't remember which one) that slows down this constant growth process. I only keep the starter out for about an hour after I ahve fed it and then I put it covered loosely in the fridge. When I need to use it I take it out, split it in two, feed both halves and put one back in the fridge after an hour covered (so it is the same volume) the other one then becomes the starter for the thing I want to make. I admit that I have to be prepared to plan ahead a little and take the starter out the night before so it can sit and wake up and grow nicely overnight, but this seems to work for me and is much less wasteful. THe book (wish I could remember which one) that talked about this also said that they thought you got better flavor out of a slow grown starter (growing cold) than a fast one - it is sort of like your reviving technique but also sort of like regular growing. Anyway, the end result is that while very slow, I don't have to throw anything away and my starter remains sort of in control.

[Alberto]

Owen, thanks for the tip and the clear explanation of the method. It seems a good way to avoid wasting all the good starter. I'll definitely give it a try. Thanks again!

[ladygoat]

Sourdough waffles sounds sooo good! And that you're not wasting any starter is just an added bonus. I'd almost want to make starter just to have the waffles!

[Alberto]

ladygoat, why not guve it a try? Adopt a new pet: your own sourdough starter ;-)

[Russ]

I do the fridge thing too. I have a culture that I started in 1979, and it is still going strong. It thrives on neglect. In summer it lives in the fridge, and in winter it lives on the bench.
These days I mainly use it for waffles and sourdough buttermilk pancakes, which generate the kind of excitement we used to reserve for Santy Claus.
I get it out of the fridge, feed it the night before so it is snappin' when I want to use it. I have never split it and I probably use it once each month or so. It seems to work just fine.
Couldn't throw any of it away - it would be like losing my foreskin all over again.

[Alberto]

Russ thanks for the explanation. My fear with such a method was that the starter might be not "strong" enough to use for bread making, but from what you say I see that's not the case. Just a question to clarify a doubt I have: how much water/flour (in respect to starter) do you feed the starter with before using it?

[Russ]

I don't feed it after I use it, so there is a gap at the top of the jar. I basically replace whatever I used last time. This is not all that scientific (but we're talking about bread after all, not AIDS vaccine) and generally I use about the same amount each time, so I guess I feed it about what I will be using. It probably amounts to about 20% to 25%.
Anyway, see how you go. We made a batch of pancakes yesterday and I had to zorch it with the cattleprod to keep it in the bowl.

[Alberto]

Ross: thanks for the explanation. Great visual description.. "zorch it with the cattleprod" :-)))