266: Old-Fashioned Maine Sourdough Waffles

[I actually wrote this up the first weekend of October, but didn't post it as I went on a catch-up posting spree and decided that anyone who reads this blog would need a break. Since the 3rd, I've been both busy and sick, so I'm just now getting to putting up this review.]

Last week I wanted sourdough waffles but couldn't find a recipe to make that morning. This weekend, I planned ahead and made the batter for Old-Fashioned Maine Sourdough Waffles the night before I wanted them.

This recipe is nearly identical to the other sourdough waffle recipe on the King Arthur Flour website, except that this one called for both AP and whole wheat flour. I made sour milk since I didn't have buttermilk. I was a little nervous about letting something with such a high milk content rest on the counter overnight, even though my kitchen was cool. I reassured myself that the yeast action from the sourdough starter would take care of things - and it did.

In morning, the sponge looked just like a sourdough starter, except a little darker from the whole wheat flour. I added eggs, vegetable oil, salt, and baking soda to it before I mixed it up. There was some furious bubbling from the baking soda interacting with the sponge, which I thought was pretty cool. This made 9 waffles in my waffle iron. The recipe said to cook for 2 minutes, but that wasn't actually quite done enough inside as it should be, so I cooked all subsequent waffles as I normally do (until steam stops coming from the waffle maker).

These smelled amazing while they cooked - just like bread baking. They were very light, and had a chewier texture than regular waffles. They definitely had a different flavor from regular waffles - breadier and not as sweet. They had character on their own without adding syrup. Alex said that he had one or two bites that tasted sour, but that was probably an issue of me not mixing the sponge before I added the rest of the ingredients, and not mixing well enough in general. I really enjoyed these waffles, and I really liked the texture. However, they are not good as leftovers, so when I make them again, I'll have the recipe so that I only make what we'll eat that day.