My Kitchen Clatter

Real Food - Real Life

Classic Sourdough Waffles (or Pancakes)

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There’s nothing like a pile of waffles early in the morning. And it’s even better when most of the work is done the night before.

This is a recipe that I usually teach in my Sourdough Baking Class – it is super easy and is also a great way to use up the unfed starter instead of discarding it.

Also – if you forget to make the overnight sponge the night before, don’t sweat it. I’ve done the overnight sponge a couple hours before finishing the batter and still had great waffles.

And while I’m technically one of those people who believe that pancakes and waffles deserve separate recipes, this recipe can bridge that gap in a pinch. You know… for those mornings when you want waffles but the kids are screaming for pancakes.

Classic Sourdough Waffles (or Pancakes)
Cuisine: Breakfast
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 16 large crispy waffles
This is a make ahead recipe – spend 5 minutes the night before and make your morning a little easier. Half the recipe if you want fewer waffles, or freeze the extra to cover breakfast for the rest of the week.
Ingredients
  • Overnight Sponge:
  • 2 cups white whole wheat flour (freshly ground, if you have it)
  • 2 T sugar
  • 2 cups buttermile, whey, or sour milk
  • 1 cup sourdough starter, unfed
  • Waffle or pancake Batter
  • all of the overnight sponge
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4/ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
  • 3/4 t salt
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1 t cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Day 1 – combine all ingredients of overnight sponge (flour through sourdough starter) in a large bowl. Cover with plastic and let rest at room temperature (or 8-12 hours). Yes, the milk overnight will be fine.
  2. Day 2 – Combine the overnight sponge with remaining ingredients. Stir just until combined. Cook as pancakes on a hot griddle or use batter to make waffles in a hot waffle iron.

 

Apple Pancake

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I usually just throw the apples in the pan - none of this fancy arranging!

I usually just throw the apples in the pan – none of this fancy arranging!

This apple pancake is one of our favorite fall breakfasts. My boys and six and eight enjoy making the pancake themselves. Get one of those fancy apple peelers and let them at it. I do the work with the hot cast iron skillet, but they like this pancake so much that they are willing (and able) to most of the work themselves. It’s fun to have the little ones happy in the kitchen.

Apple Pancake
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 t baking powder
  • 1 T sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 T butter, melted
  • 1/2 t ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 t ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 t ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 3 large tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
Instructions
  1. Place 12-inch cast iron skillet in oven and pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
  2. While oven is preheating, combine eggs through 1/2 t nutmeg in a medium bowl. This mixture can be made the night before and kept in fridge, ready to go for the morning.
  3. Combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 t nutmeg in a small bowl.
  4. When oven and skillet are hot, put 1/4 cup butter in skillet and put skillet back in oven until butter is melted, about 3 minutes. Remove skillet.
  5. Sprinkle about half of the sugar cinnamon mixture over the bottom of the skillet. Remember skillet is HOT! Layer apples on top of the sugar and then sprinkle with remaining sugar cinnamon mixture. Put pan back in oven to bake apples for 10 minutes.
  6. Pour batter over the top of the apples and finish cooking until top is golden brown and apples are cooked, about 20-25 minutes.

 

Whole Wheat Pancakes

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Whole Wheat Pancakes

Snowman PancakeI can often bribe my boys to stay in bed at night by promising them a special breakfast the next morning.  The other night, they requested snowman chocolate chip pancakes. No problem.  Just a slight modification on the regular pancake recipe and you’ve got snowmen – and really happy little boys.  You can see in the photo, that we also gave gingerbread man shaped pancakes a shot.  Eh, I prefer the snowmen.  But, if you want fancier shapes, you can use metal cookie cutters to get different shapes.  Just don’t overfill the cookie cutter, or you’ll get overflow that ruins your shape.  Also – remember to oil the cutters before you start.

For my chocolate chip pancakes, I sparingly add a few chocolate chips after I’ve poured the batter onto a hot griddle.  I do the same for blueberries – you can use frozen or fresh.

Lumps are okay! At least in pancake batter.This is what your batter should look like once you’ve mixed the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.  Don’t overstir it – the lumps are okay.  Just 10-15 strokes with a wooden spoon or spatula and you’ll be good.  Too much stirring will make your pancakes tough.  And we don’t want that.

It is also a good idea to let the batter rest 5-10 minutes before you start making the pancakes.  It helps to let the flour absorb some liquid and gives it more rise on the griddle.

Once you have this recipe mastered, try substituting half of the whole wheat flour with buckwheat flour.  It makes your pancakes so amazingly tender.  Just watch out – the pancakes from I-Hop may never taste as good again.

I even forgot the sugar the last time I made these, and no one noticed the difference.  The cinnamon and butter gave them enough flavor – of course, the maple syrup probably didn’t hurt either.

And of course, my standard disclaimer – the freshly ground whole grain flours make the difference in this recipe.  If you try this recipe with store bought whole wheat – they will be good, but not as good it can get.

Whole Wheat Pancakes
Recipe Type: Breakfast
Author: Andrea
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 12 pancakes
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (4.5 oz) of whole wheat flour – I use freshly ground
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 1 t sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup of buttermilk, sour milk, or whey
  • 1 T coconut oil or butter, melted
Instructions
  1. While preparing the batter, heat a cast iron skillet or griddle on the stovetop. Throw some bacon on there, if you want.
  2. Whisk together dry ingredients (flour through sugar) in a large bowl. Whisk egg to break the yolk and combine with buttermilk. Add egg mixture and oil to the dry ingredients. Whisk until just wet – it doesn’t need to be smooth, a few lumps are okay.
  3. When the griddle is hot enough that a couple water drops dance on it, you are ready to cook your pancakes. I use a soup ladle to spoon the batter onto the griddle. This is when I add chocolate chips or blueberries to the pancakes. Flip when you see the bubbles start to pop. Cook for a minute or so on the second side until they are nicely browned. Enjoy!