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Finally! After a botched attempt at making waffles from my yeast starters, I believe this a decent recipe that works. Many thanks are due to Smitten Kitchen’s essential raised waffles. My variation has different ingredient proportions to accommodate using the wet starter. I also use different flours because, in spite of having far too many flours in the pantry, I don’t have all-purpose wheat. So, some improvising occurred. 🙂

The resulting waffles were light in density, and crispy on the outside. I froze the leftovers, which are a great replacement for store-bought ones.

UPDATED 13 April 2020: Minor ingredient adjustments.

This batch made 18 waffles, in the non-Belgian style: 25 cells instead of 16 for more surface area! I have a Chef’s Choice WafflePro 852 maker, so the settings mentioned below are based on that model.

Yessss, the flour and starter measurements are approximate. I usually adjust the dry and wet ingredients after the overnight rising and the addition of eggs: Add a bit more flour, or lessen or increase the amount of water with the baking soda, until the batter is not too thin or too thick.

You can keep leftover batter in the fridge, but we used up the entire batch, and froze the uneaten waffles—after allowing them to cool to room temperature. Because they are so light, and not at all cake-like, use a low setting when reheating the waffles in a toaster or toaster oven, otherwise they’ll burn or get too hard.

Ingredients

• 8 3/4 ounces (250 grams) whole wheat flour; I use a mix of Sonora, spelt, Khorasan and/or hard white flours, whatever is available
• 2 to 3 1/2 ounces (50 to 80 grams) sourdough yeast starter
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups warm milk (100º to 110ºF degrees)
• 1 stick (4 ounces, 115 grams) unsalted butter, melted (100º to 110ºF degrees)
• (next day) 2 eggs
• (next day) 1 teaspoon baking powder
• (next day) 1/4 teaspoon baking soda mixed
• (next day) vegetable oil (canola, safflower, grapeseed, etc.), as a spray or to be applied with pastry brush

Method

1. Whisk together all the flours, sugar, and salt in a large bowl (I use a glass one with a handy pouring spout, removable lid, and handle).
2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and slowly mix in the the milk, followed by the melted butter. There might be a few lumps of flour, but a whisk usually takes care of most of them. The rest tend to disappear overnight, too.
3. Cover tightly (just in case the batter reaches the top; you don’t want any oozing out) and leave on the counter overnight, for at least 8 hours. Don’t be surprised if the batter starts to smell like a rich beer; it will still end up tasting like waffles in the end!
4. Next day (morning, usually), get the waffle griddle warmed up. For my electrical model, I set it at the highest setting, 6, while I finish the batter.
5. Completely whisk in baking powder, baking soda, and the two eggs. The batter might become slightly bubbly.
6. Lightly spray waffle maker with vegetable oil. With my waffle maker, each waffle took about 1/3 cup of batter. Cover and bake on setting 5 for 4 minutes. Might need to toss the first batch (or, don’t photograph them ;), which might appear too pale or too gummy, like crêpes. Might not need to spray again for the entire batch, but keep the oil handy, just in case the waffles start to stick. Reheat the waffle maker at the highest setting between batches.
7. Serve warm, with butter, maple syrup, jams, fruit curds, chopped fruit, powdered sugar, chocolate-nut spread, etc. I have not yet tried savory waffles with eggs, tomatoes, or bacon. Maybe one of these days. 😉