Sourdough Discard Waffles

I’ve been experimenting with sourdough starter lately. Each time sourdough starter is fed with fresh flour and water, a portion of the unfed starter is set aside (otherwise, it won’t take long until you find yourself with more sourdough starter than you know what to do with). The portion of starter that is set aside is called “discard”. Discard is an unfortunate name because it leads some to believe you have to actually throw it away, but it’s a perfectly good mixture of flour, water, natural yeast, and good-for-you bacteria so why not put it to good use by adding it to recipes.

Today I’ll be using some of my sourdough discard to make mini waffles. The recipe makes 12-14 mini waffles that freeze beautifully (directions below). Reheat them straight out of the freezer using a toaster or toaster oven.

We’ll start by whisking together the dry ingredients - flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

Next we’ll weigh out the sourdough starter discard.

We’ll also need some melted butter.

And lastly, milk, eggs, and pure vanilla extract (I always use the good stuff!).

Whisk everything together until no clumps remain.

Use a #20 scoop to portion the perfect amount of batter into a preheated mini waffle maker (this is the one I love). Cook each mini waffle for about 3 minutes until brown and cooked through.

Leftovers should be allowed to cool completely before freezing in a zip-top freezer bag. To reheat - simply remove from freezer and place in toaster.

There you go - Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• my mini waffle maker https://amzn.to/3sDhi9C

• #20 scoop https://amzn.to/3rLSL31

• digital scale https://amzn.to/3EHZkHL

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3ovS9fE

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Sourdough Discard Waffles

makes 12-14 mini waffles (4-inch diameter)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 5 ounces (by weight) all purpose flour

• 1 1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoons) baking powder

• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon fine salt

• 8 ounces (by weight) sourdough discard (or sourdough starter)

• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1/2 cup milk or milk substitute

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat mini waffle maker.

• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

• Add the remaining ingredients and whisk until completely combined.

• Use a #20 scoop to portion the perfect amount of batter for each waffle (no need to grease or spray this waffle maker).

• Allow waffles to cook until brown on both sides (or until the amount of steam escaping from the waffle maker decreases greatly), about 3 minutes.

Notes

• I find there’s no need to grease, butter, or spray my mini waffle maker. Yours may be different.

• I allow my mini waffle maker to reheat for a minute or so after every 2 or 3 waffles.

• Leftover waffles freeze beautifully - I simple allow them to cool completely, then stack them in a zip-top storage bag. Reheat from frozen in a toaster or toaster oven.

adapted from serious eats

Sourdough Pepperoni Pinwheels

Can I interest you in a warm, soft, cheese and pepperoni-filled sourdough pinwheel? I thought so. Serve a little marinara on the side and you’ve got yourself some pizza pinwheel love!

Let’s get started…

Start by gathering all your ingredients. In my case, that would include a friend who brought her very own homemade sourdough starter, all the way from her Ohio kitchen.

Everyone, please say “Hi” to Chris!

Here we are adding Chris’ amazing sourdough starter to the mixing bowl. It’s fun to see the carbon dioxide bubbles rise to the surface of the water. Oh how I wish you could have smelled that yeasty sourdough starter!

Next we mixed the dough in a stand mixer (Chris reports the dough cycle on her bread machine works as well).

Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap.

Next we allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot - we used my nifty bread proofing box.

Goodbye bread dough - see you after your cozy 45-minute power nap!

85F was the perfect temperature.

Ooooh, look how lovely the dough is after 45 minutes.

Note: the amount of dough you see in the bowl is a quadruple batch of the printed recipe below.

On an oiled counter top, press the dough into a rectangular shape. Add the shredded mozzarella cheese and sliced pepperoni (leave about an inch along the top long edge of the rectangle free of fillings).

Starting at the bottom long edge of the rectangle, start rolling all the way to the top.

Pinch the seam closed with your fingertips. Use a serrated knife to cut the long roll in half, then in half again. You should now have 4 sections that should be cut into 3 equal pieces for a total of 12 pinwheels.

Place the pinwheels on a silpat-lined half sheet pan and cover with a clean kitchen towel to allow the pinwheels to rise for 20-30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Remove the tea towel and brush pinwheels with egg wash and sprinkle with pretzel salt or flaked sea salt. Bake in center of preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until they’re golden brown. Allow to cool on

Allow pinwheels to rest for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool. Serve warm with a side of marinara for dipping, if desired.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• heavy duty stand mixer https://amzn.to/2MFm69q

• bread proofing box https://amzn.to/2BhnJVm

• pretzel salt https://amzn.to/33FiUSd

• flaked sea salt https://amzn.to/33yFuM3

• dry milk powder https://amzn.to/33g6nda

• instant, bread machine, or quick/rapid-rise yeast https://amzn.to/36eaOXj

• silpat liner https://amzn.to/3JmUMbQ

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3swqo82

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Sourdough Pepperoni Pinwheels

makes 12 pinwheels

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons warm water (105F - 110F)

• 1/2 cup chilled sourdough starter (not freshly fed)

• 1 1/2 cups bread flour (or unbleached all-purpose flour)

• 2 tablespoons dry milk powder

• 1 teaspoon instant yeast (or bread machine or instant/rapid-rise)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 6 ounces pepperoni slices

• 8 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella

• 1 large egg

• 1 tablespoon water

• pretzel salt of flaked sea salt for sprinkling

Directions

1. Place the first 8 ingredients in the bowl of a heavy duty stand mixer, fitted with a dough hook; mix on low speed for a few minutes until no dry ingredients remain.

2. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic; about 15 minutes.

3. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl; cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draft-free place until double in size, about 45 minutes.

4. Preheat oven to 350F and place rack in lower-center position.

5. Gently remove the dough from the oiled bowl and place on an oiled counter top; press into a rectangular shape approximately 7 inches tall by 13 inches wide.

6. Evenly spread mozzarella cheese and sliced pepperoni the dough, leaving about an inch of space along the top long edge of the rectangle (see photo above).

7. Start rolling the rectangle of dough, from the bottom to the top; pinch the seam closed.

8. Use a serrated knife to slice the long roll into 2 equal lengths, then slice each of the 2 sections in half, now slice the 4 equal lengths each into 3 equal portions, for a total of 12 pinwheels.

9. Place each pinwheel on its side on a silpat-lined half sheet pan, spacing evenly; cover with clean kitchen towel and rise for 20-30 minutes

10. Preheat oven to 350F and make sure rack is in center position..

11. Make egg wash by beating egg with 1 tablespoon water; brush each pinwheel.

12. Sprinkle each pinwheel with pretzel salt or flaked sea salt.

13. Bake for 25-30 minutes until brown.

14. Remove from oven and allow them to rest for 5 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. If desired, serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Note

• Instant yeast, bread machine yeast, and quick/rapid-rise yeast can be used interchangeably.

recipe adapted from The Kitchen Whisperer