These pumpkin sourdough waffles taste so much like a pumpkin roll that I almost feel guilty eating them for breakfast! It’s also a great way to use up your sourdough discard!

I love to bake sourdough bread. The one part that always makes me a little sad is putting the sourdough discard in the garbage or the compost. I’ve worked so hard to maintain it! I have spent the last year or so scouring online to find ideas for how other people utilize this gold in disguise.

Most people feed their sourdough starter before bed, making breakfast a great time to use up the sourdough discard. I tested so many recipes and often the waffles tasted too dense or too bread-like. Once I figured out how to create a fluffy, soft sourdough waffle that was easy to adapt, I was completely hooked. I actually now prefer sourdough discard waffles over the basic variety!

I know it is the end of the fall and most people are now full steam ahead into gingerbread and peppermint, I’m still holding on to pumpkin for dear life! So for those hold outs like me, here is the most amazing pumpkin waffle recipe utilizing your sourdough discard.

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How to make Pumpkin Sourdough Waffles:

I know the typical way to make waffles is to separate the eggs, whip the egg whites separately and then fold them in to the completed batter. Unfortunately, those extra steps normally keep me from making waffles. If they were as easy as pancakes, I’d make them all the time. I decided to keep these ones basic and see if there was any noticeable difference in the fluffiness. Would you believe that there wasn’t? I am completely convinced that it’s not an essential step, and that you can make waffles that you’d be proud to serve to company with just a bowl and a whisk.

Wet Ingredients

Begin by mixing the wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl – egg, buttermilk, melted butter, sourdough discard, vanilla extract, and pumpkin puree.

Dry Ingredients

The easiest way to make sure you don’t get clumps of baking soda and baking powder is to whisk all the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl. Alternately, you can combine them and put them through a sifter. So combine your dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients.

Mixing the pumpkin sourdough waffles

One big tip for making pancakes and waffles light and tender is to not overmix them. Flour has gluten in it that is developed when you work the flour. It’ the reason you knead bread dough because you want to develop the gluten. With something light and soft like waffles, doing this makes them tough. That is why recipes have you mix the wet ingredients well before adding the dry ones. This is also the reason you’ll never see me using a mixer to make pancakes or waffles. It is SO easy to overmix by doing that. You will have a yummier breakfast. You’ll also have less to clean up. Win – Win!

Topping the pumpkin sourdough waffles

These waffles could have a myriad of toppings. You could use the homemade pancake syrup from my blog. Real maple syrup is always a delicious option! See how to make your own maple syrup here! In the posts, I show how we harvest maple syrup from our own trees! You could also top it with Cool Whip or homemade whipping cream. I used a spectacular cream cheese whipping cream. You’ve got to try it! That is what really takes these pumpkin roll pancakes over the top! A handful of pecans or candied pecans would definitely not be a bad idea either!

Questions about sourdough pumpkin waffles:

Can I use something other than pumpkin?

Absolutely! You can replace it with butternut squash puree, sweet potato puree or really any type of winter squash. Those flavors are so similar that you can interchange them without a problem.

I don’t have a waffle iron. Can I make this into pancakes?

Yes! I tried this as I was making them today and they turned out spectacular! I used a cast iron skillet and cooked them in melted butter. They were SO good! I have found that having a double waffle iron on hand allows me to make enough waffles for the whole family really quickly.

Can I still make these if I don’t have buttermilk?

I often run out of buttermilk! In waffles, you can use straight milk, but you’ll have to substitute 2t of baking powder for the 1t baking powder + 1t baking soda that is called for in the recipe. The baking soda causes a chemical reaction with the buttermilk, so without it in there, you’ll need to bump up the baking powder portion. As an alternative, you can use regular milk, but add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar to give it the acidity it needs to cause the reaction.

Can I use whole wheat flour for this?

Not a problem! I often make my pancakes and waffles with whole wheat flour and also with freshly milled wheat or spelt berries. I find that when you use whole wheat with buttermilk (like in my original pancake recipe), it makes it taste less wheaty.

Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles

These sourdough waffles taste just like a pumpkin roll!

• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup Sourdough Starter
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree ((1/2 of a can))
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

1. Whisk together wet ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
2. Add brown sugar and salt and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Sprinkle over wet ingredients and whisk until just mixed, taking care not to over mix.
4. Cook in waffle iron, according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Questions about sourdough discard pumpkin waffles:

Can I use something other than pumpkin?

Absolutely! You can replace it with butternut squash puree, sweet potato puree or really any type of winter squash. Those flavors are so similar that you can interchange them without a problem.

I don’t have a waffle iron. Can I make this into pancakes?

Yes! I tried this as I was making them today and they turned out spectacular! I used a cast iron skillet and cooked them in melted butter. They were SO good! I have found that having a double waffle iron on hand allows me to make enough waffles for the whole family really quickly. Here’s one that is similar to the one I have.

Can I still make these if I don’t have buttermilk?

I often run out of buttermilk! In waffles, you can use straight milk, but you’ll have to substitute 2t of baking powder for the 1t baking powder + 1t baking soda that is called for in the recipe. The baking soda causes a chemical reaction with the buttermilk, so without it in there, you’ll need to bump up the baking powder portion. As an alternative, you can use regular milk, but add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar to give it the acidity it needs to cause the reaction.

Can I use whole wheat flour for this?

Not a problem! I often make my pancakes and waffles with whole wheat flour and also with freshly milled wheat or spelt berries. I find that when you use whole wheat with buttermilk (like in my original pancake recipe), it makes it taste less wheaty.

Breakfast

pumpkin, sourdough, sourdough discard, waffle

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