If you’re a sourdough fiend like I am then just the name of this recipe alone was probably enough to pique your interest. Sourdough has always been my favorite style of bread. The rich flavor seems to go with everything from savory to sweet. Even though I love sourdough I have to confess that I don’t often make bread at home. That’s generally a special occasion type of thing. But, this recipe uses a cheat to help make the batter deliciously sourdough-y without taking days to complete.

To begin making this recipe you’ll need to heat up some milk mixed with water and melted butter. Make sure the temperature is between 100˚F and 120˚F- not boiling. You want it to be warm to the touch, but not hot. Then pour in the secret ingredient: a packet of dried sourdough culture. Combine them together and let sit for 5 minutes. The mixture should develop a few bubbles. After letting the culture “wake up” in the warm milk for 5 minutes combine the flour, salt, and sugar with the liquid in a large bowl.

When I first discovered these packets at the grocery a few years ago it was a total game changer. Just like instant yeast, dried sourdough culture is incredibly easy to use.

To complete the batter add eggs in one at a time. Once the eggs are in stir or mix the batter for another 2-3 minutes. Cover and let sit at room temperature (or someplace warm) for at least one hour and up to overnight. The sourdough taste and texture will still develop in only an hour but will be intensified when left to sit for longer. The perfect scenario is to make the batter at night and have the batter ready for the morning.

In this instance you can make a lovely batter with the cake-y, slightly sourness of sourdough without having to make a starter and feed it for a week. But, if you are an avid baker you can adapt this recipe to use up homemade starter as well.

To do this use 3/4 cup of starter and reduce the flour in the recipe to 2 cups and the milk to 1 1/2 cups and skip heating the liquids. If using this method you do not need to let the batter rise again. And, if you have starter on hand you can make this batter even quicker by using biscuit mix instead of making your batter from scratch.

Once the batter is ready pour onto a hot waffle iron in 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup increments, depending on the size of the iron. Allow to cook until brown and crispy on the outside. While these waffles would go well with chicken, eggs, sausage, or fruit, I like them with just butter and syrup so that the sourdough flavor really comes through. These waffles also freeze really well for when you need something quick in the morning.

This is my new go-to waffle recipe without a doubt and once you try these bad boys you might not want “regular” waffles again.