Good morning! Here at Circle M we love sourdough but we don't tend to eat a lot of bread. Waffles are a great way to use up starter when the starter bowl is a bit to full to feed. We were in this situation yesterday, and so pulled up this basic recipe for Overnight Lemon Sourdough Waffles from Korena in the Kitchen - she's a great baker/blogger and puts up a lot of sourdough ideas. If you don't have a sourdough starter, I think overnight yeasted waffles are almost as yummy - especially if you don't really need the tartness of the sourdough. Me, I'm all about tart. But here's a good Overnight Yeasted Waffle recipe that I use when I don't have enough starter. I'm also all about the overnight rise for waffles, breads and anything else you can ferment before baking. But if you are pressed for time or just feel like having a waffle RIGHT NOW, just use whatever mix you might have in the house - Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Biscuit Mix makes great waffles - or whip up something from that great old cookbook you've got collecting dust on the bookshelf. The web is wonderful, but don't let those heavy hard-cover cookbooks languish. There is still something so satisfying about cooking from a book, don't you think?
I started with the Lemon Sourdough but it's the modifications that count in this kitchen. First, we used half whole wheat flour and half buckwheat - I love the taste of buckwheat in things that don't need the spring of gluten. Waffles and muffins and cookies all benefit from the nutty taste and texture of buckwheat. In addition to the zest of one lemon, I put the juice in, too. As I said, I'm all about the tart. I also substituted maple syrup for brown sugar - all of our friends are starting to tap trees with this sudden thaw, so I was feelin' the maple. Then I let the batter sit overnight, as directed.
In the morning, just before cooking, we added the rest of Korena's ingredients (eggs, baking soda) but also threw in a tablespoon of chia, 2 tablespoons of ground hemp seed and a 1 1/2 cups of almost minced chard. Mincing the chard was tough, but I knew it was key for the texture and fluff of the pancakes. The idea for greens in the waffles was inspired by a visit last weekend to Minneapolis' fabulous Birchwood Cafe. I got their Kale Waffles, which were good - but sweeter and denser than mine. I really prefer an overnight sourdough recipe because the waffles get very light and airy. Mine are more like a crisp-on-the-outside, puffed-on-the-inside vehicle for toppings, and not so much the filling main course of the meal. But the Birchwood's were very very good, if heavy, and you can see a picture of just what I got on their website if you click through - topped with an egg and a bacon/apple chutney.
I started with the Lemon Sourdough but it's the modifications that count in this kitchen. First, we used half whole wheat flour and half buckwheat - I love the taste of buckwheat in things that don't need the spring of gluten. Waffles and muffins and cookies all benefit from the nutty taste and texture of buckwheat. In addition to the zest of one lemon, I put the juice in, too. As I said, I'm all about the tart. I also substituted maple syrup for brown sugar - all of our friends are starting to tap trees with this sudden thaw, so I was feelin' the maple. Then I let the batter sit overnight, as directed.
In the morning, just before cooking, we added the rest of Korena's ingredients (eggs, baking soda) but also threw in a tablespoon of chia, 2 tablespoons of ground hemp seed and a 1 1/2 cups of almost minced chard. Mincing the chard was tough, but I knew it was key for the texture and fluff of the pancakes. The idea for greens in the waffles was inspired by a visit last weekend to Minneapolis' fabulous Birchwood Cafe. I got their Kale Waffles, which were good - but sweeter and denser than mine. I really prefer an overnight sourdough recipe because the waffles get very light and airy. Mine are more like a crisp-on-the-outside, puffed-on-the-inside vehicle for toppings, and not so much the filling main course of the meal. But the Birchwood's were very very good, if heavy, and you can see a picture of just what I got on their website if you click through - topped with an egg and a bacon/apple chutney.
You can see how light on the inside and crispy on the outside these sourdough waffles are.
I topped ours this morning with plain yogurt and a tart (of course) cherry balsamic syrup and micro-planed lemon zest over the top. Spring is nearly here and I wanted something light and hopeful. But these would be great with sausage and gravy spooned over the top. They'd also be great with bacon lardons and maple syrup with a dollop of butter. You could pair with pulled pork and a side of mashed potatoes and pass bbq sauce. Of course a sunny-side up egg would be the bomb with absolutely ANY of the savory toppings. But these straddle the line between savory and sweet and can be dressed up to pull off whichever you most crave. Or do like we do for our Bed and Breakfast guests - serve the waffles with a bar of fixin's that go in every direction. Bon Appetit! Viva Local Food!
I love the chard paired with the lemon zest in this slightly sweet but mostly savory recipe. Chop the chard (or kale or spinach) almost to the point of mincing or it'll make the waffles soggy. Look at the bubbles on the surface of the sourdough - that's what give us such light and crispy waffles. I tried for years to achieve this by beating the egg whites separately into stiff peaks. Took forever and didn't work nearly as well. Make this batter the night before and you have practically no work in the morning when you want to serve guests.
