Overnight Sourdough Discard Waffles

Your new favorite weekend brunch is here: made with sourdough discard for a unique yeasty flavor and buttermilk for tang. Slathered with salted butter, you almost don’t need any syrup (though I’ll admit that the combination of sweet syrup and salty butter on a crisp, yeasty waffle is nothing short of perfection).

The overnight method allows you to mix up the bulk of the batter the night before, letting the sourdough work its magic while you sleep. Then, when you wake up in the morning, just mix in the eggs and start baking and you’ll be enjoying waffles by the time the coffee finishes brewing!

I really do love waffles (you could say, I love them a waffle lot).

I love waffles more than pancakes. And even French toast. Although German pancakes still reign as supreme brunch food in my opinion, but waffles aren’t far behind.

Within the hierarchy of waffles themselves, yeasted waffles always taste just a little bit… more. More flavorful, more fluffy, more crispy around the edges. Just, more.

Seeing as how sourdough is the queen of all yeasts, well, you can see where this is going. To be honest I’m a bit disappointed in myself that it’s taken me this long to actually make sourdough waffles (unlike sourdough pancakes which I tackled years ago).

Once you taste these overnight sourdough waffles, with their golden brown, crunchy exterior and yeasty, toothsome centers, I think you’ll agree that they have been well worth the wait.

If you like your waffles with a bit more substance and depth of flavor—no dry, flavorless styrofoam here—these sourdough waffles might just be exactly the recipe you’ve been looking for. With a perfectly golden brown, crispy exterior and a toothsome, fluffy-yet-substantial interior with a robust yeasty flavor, they truly are the pinnacle of brunch for sourdough lovers. They’re so good that you might find yourself intentionally feeding your sourdough starter a little bit extra, just so you have an excuse to make these waffles.

The beauty of overnight waffles is you can mix up the batter the night before, then let it sit out overnight at room temperature so the sourdough starter can work its yeasty magic.

Then, the following morning, just mix in the eggs (plus baking soda, salt, and vanilla) and start baking! That’s an easy enough task to tackle even before that first cup of coffee, and quick enough that your first waffles should be coming off the iron all golden brown and delicious just as the pot finishes brewing.

No sourdough starter, but still want yeasty waffles? Check out my yeasted donut waffle recipe, which uses a similar overnight process, just with instant yeast instead. The donut waffles are lighter and fluffier than these sourdough waffles (thanks in part to the whipped egg whites), perfect if you prefer ultra light, almost delicately crisp and fluffy waffles. Plus the crackly vanilla bean glaze is nothing short of perfection.

And if you absolutely must have waffles but don’t want to deal with yeast, might I suggest my Sunshine Citrus Waffles, which are leavened with baking soda/powder and beaten (but not separated) eggs for an extra fluffy, citrus-infused delight that can be whipped up in under 30 minutes (I recommend making the candied citrus peel ahead of time, it’s not required but truly makes these waffles shine!)

Most Belgian-style waffle makers are 1 cup-capacity, which will give you exactly 4 waffles. But I definitely recommend referring to your waffle maker’s instruction manual to determine the exact amount before you start baking, as you don’t want to risk overfilling your waffle maker (trust me, it gets messy).

In my final test batch I actually started weighing out the waffle batter, which gave me the most consistent, even results. For my particular waffle maker, a generous 1 cup, or about 240-250 grams of waffle batter was the perfect amount. That’s about 5 large scoops worth, but the scoops were harder to make consistently-sized, hence the switch to the scale.

My waffle maker is a since-discontinued KitchenAid waffle baker, but this Cuisinart one looks pretty similar. I like that you can make two waffles at a time, and the rotating mechanism ensures the batter evenly coats the iron.

Could you make this with a regular, non-Belgian waffle maker instead? Sure! Just refer to your instruction manual to figure out exactly how much batter to use—and how long to bake them—before you start. Trust me, you don’t want to mess with overfilled waffle makers. Unless you want to deal with an elementary-school-science-fair level of mess, to say the least.

Now, if only I could find a waffle maker with interchangeable plates so I could make round, square, or bubble waffles depending on my mood! Kitchen-ware brands, get on it!

Overnight Method

The overnight method for making sourdough waffles really highlights the flavor of the sourdough, as the overnight rest gives the natural yeasts in the starter time to activate and develop that lovely yeasty flavor.

In terms of timing, I’ve let it sit for as little as 10 hours up to about 15 hours (I had to take these process photos before the sun disappeared, afterall.) So the timing is much more flexible than making actual bread, since we’re really just relying on the starter for flavor rather than rise.

If you want to make your batter even farther ahead of time, let it sit out for a couple of hours and then refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Let it come back up to room temperature for an hour or so before you mix in the eggs and start waffling.

Sift flour into a large mixing bowl. I like to sift straight into the bowl set on a kitchen scale, no measuring cup needed! Tare out the scale, then measure out 100 grams of mature sourdough discard starter (at 100% hydration). Add butter that has been melted and cooled to lukewarm (having all room temperature ingredients will prevent it from solidifying into little bits). Whisk or stir until dry ingredients are just incorporated (batter will be a bit lumpy, but there shouldn’t be any large pockets of flour left). Cover the bowl and let it sit out at cool room temperature overnight to mature. The next morning, the batter will have increased noticeably in volume. Sprinkle baking soda and salt evenly over the risen batter. Lightly beat eggs with vanilla, then add to mixing bowl with the sourdough batter. Use a whisk to briskly stir until eggs are fully incorporated, trying not to mix it any more than necessary. Once the eggs are incorporated, the batter will be thick and a bit lumpy, which is ok (you don’t need or want to overmix it). Scoop about 1 cup of batter into a Belgian waffle iron (refer to manufacturer instructions for the proper amount of batter to use). Cook until waffles are deep golden brown and cooked through; gently transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving or cool fully before storing.

Morning-of method

If you aren’t able to make the batter the night before, you can still make sourdough waffles by mixing the batter the morning of! The process is mostly the same, just add the salt and baking soda directly to the flour, and whisk the eggs in at the same time as the butter and buttermilk (room temperature for everything). Let the batter rest for about 30 minutes before cooking in your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

I’ve made these waffles both ways, and the differences are subtle. The texture if the morning-of waffles is a bit lighter, more cottony you could call it, since the flour doesn’t undergo as much agitation and mixing, nor does it sit overnight during which time it develops some gluten.

The overnight waffles are a bit…. I don’t want to say denser since that’s not entirely accurate. I also don’t want to say they seem wetter because that is definitely not appetizing. But the texture is slightly different than the morning-of waffles. The flavor too, can only be described as more bready, as the sourdough starter is given more opportunity to develop its signature flavor when it sits overnight. Especially when slathered with salted butter (which is our preferred way to eat freshly baked sourdough).

Freeze ’em for later!

Like most other homemade waffle recipes, these freeze beautifully!

Take care to let them cool completely on wire racks (not plates or cookie sheets as the residual steam will turn them soggy on the bottom).

Once completely cool, pop the whole rack into the freezer for a few hours or overnight until frozen through, then transfer to a zip-top bag or other airtight container. If you plan to store them longer than a few weeks, I’d also recommend wrapping them individually in foil or plastic wrap just to further protect them from freezer burn.

To re-heat frozen waffles, place the frozen waffles on a wire rack set inside a cookie sheet, then bake in a 300 degree F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until waffles are warmed through and outsides are crispy.

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Sourdough discard: This recipe calls for mature sourdough discard, which is sourdough starter that is active and will double or triple in volume after 8-12 hours of feeding. You can use freshly-fed starter or leftover discard that’s been stored in the fridge until you’re ready to use it (the longer it is stored the stronger the sour flavor will be).

My starter is an all-white starter at 100% hydration. If your starter is lower hydration, I’d recommend adding a more liquid to make up the difference. Whole wheat starters will still work in this recipe, but may result in slightly denser waffles. Using bleached flour to make up the rest of the waffle batter will help offset that denseness a bit.

All-purpose flour: I used a mix of half unbleached all-purpose flour and half bleached all-purpose (White Lily brand for my southern friends). Bleached flours are generally softer and lower in protein, resulting in lighter, fluffier waffles. Higher protein flours will result in a denser waffle, which isn’t a bad thing necessarily. You can use all bleached flour if you like (and if your starter is all/part whole wheat I would recommend this).

Buttermilk: The buttermilk in this recipe plays off the sour notes of the discard, while also adding moisture and richness. I used a low-fat buttermilk that was on the thick side; if yours is thinner (more like a milk-consistency), you may want to decrease the quantity to 1 1/4 cups.

As a buttermilk substitute, I am not a fan of the common lemon juice/vinegar + milk recommendation. Instead, mix 1/3 cup sour cream with 1 cup whole milk; this will most closely replicate the thickness, fat content, and flavor of true buttermilk.

You can also get shelf-stable buttermilk powder, which is easy to mix up with milk or water to create on-demand buttermilk. This is a great option if you don’t use buttermilk often and don’t want to waste it!