These sourdough cornmeal waffles are one of the best overnight breakfast options. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, with the slight crunch that comes from the added texture of cornmeal. The sourdough fermentation gives them a rich flavor, while salt and butter make them extra yummy.

Making sourdough cornmeal waffles

The process of making sourdough waffles is simple. The night before you want waffles for breakfast, combine the dry ingredients with an active sourdough starter, fat (butter), and milk. This mixture will rest at room temperature to ferment overnight, giving the waffles an incredible depth of flavor and allowing the starter culture to leaven the batter.

The following morning, all you have to do is add eggs and baking soda, and fry the waffles. It makes for a fast, painless and oh-so-delicious breakfast!

Can you freeze waffles?

Sometimes, I confess, I’ve made too many times the recipe and ended up with extra waffles. And by extra I mean… like, a lot extra. (My mom would tease me here… this is a recurring problem throughout my life.)

Thankfully, freezing pre-made waffles is easy to do and they thaw out quickly and nicely for another day. While it’s true, nothing compares to fresh waffles right out of the iron, re-heating homemade waffles is definitely a great second-best option.

How to freeze and thaw homemade sourdough waffles

If you want to make waffles for the freezer (or if you need to freeze extras like me), you can separate the waffles with layers of parchment paper and slide them into an airtight freezer bag.

To thaw, simply warm them up for a minute or two in your waffle iron, toast them in the toaster on a light setting, or re-crisp them in the oven. To do this, try them at 300 degrees F for about 5 minutes or until thawed and slightly toasty.

Toppings

Waffles are delicious served in any number of ways, and these sourdough cornmeal waffles are no exception. This recipe makes a great background for just about any topping you want to throw on them! Here are some of my favorites:

• Maple syrup
• Caramel syrup
• Vanilla pudding (with fresh fruit or fruit sauce)
• Strawberry sauce
• Raspberry sauce
• Rhubarb sauce
• Blueberry pie filling
• Strawberry Orange Marmalade
• Yogurt and fresh berries
• Whipped cream
• Frozen berries

The waffles in these photos are served with homemade raspberry sauce, freshly whipped heavy cream, and frozen raspberries scattered on top.

Substitutes

When making substitutions, it’s important to know what works and what doesn’t. I’ve made several successful substitutions in this recipe, and I’ll happily share them with you here.

Cornmeal

Cornmeal is a feature of this recipe, true; however, if you’re running low or find that you’re out, this recipe works great with oats in its place.

Sugar (or honey)

Sugar can be substituted for honey (as stated in the recipe), brown sugar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, or it can be omitted entirely.

Milk

You can easily use a milk substitute in this recipe, provided that it’s unsweetened. Try oat, coconut, almond, or soy milk for this recipe. Just be aware that milk substitutes will affect the taste of the finished product quite a bit.

Butter

The butter in this recipe can be substituted for olive or coconut oil, with the latter giving the waffles a definite coconut taste.

Ingredients

Great ingredients make great recipes. It seems obvious to say it, but it’s true! Here’s what you’re going to need to make these delicious sourdough cornmeal waffles at home.

sourdough starter

An active sourdough starter is an essential element of this recipe. Without it, you can’t make sourdough waffles! You can learn all there is to know about sourdough starter and how to make your own here.

all-purpose flour

To get nice and light waffles, all-purpose flour is my favorite. Go for unbleached all purpose if you can, to make the sourdough culture thrive.

cornmeal

I love a good coarse ground cornmeal for that extra crunch and flavor. Any good cornmeal will work well for this recipe, however. (Just don’t go using a muffin mix! Pure cornmeal is the stuff you want.)

salt

It’s true, the best salts are usually some kind of mineral salt (like Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt), but you can use any salt for this recipe with good results.

sugar (or honey)

This is an ingredient that can be used or not, but its purpose is a good one: sugar feeds the sourdough culture (making it more active), and it also gives a little softness to the flavor of the finished waffles. This recipe isn’t “sweet” by any means, but that touch of sweetness certainly does make them more delicious.

milk

Milk, rather than water, makes the waffles nice and soft on the inside, with an almost creamy flavor to them.

butter

I like to use salted butter for a little extra savor, but you can use either salted or unsalted butter for this recipe.

baking soda

Baking soda makes the waffles rise nicely for that lovely fluffy, crisp texture. Don’t skip this ingredient!

eggs

Unless otherwise specified, most recipes require large eggs. If you only have medium eggs, the recipe will still work. However, your batter will be a little thicker. If you only have small eggs, add an extra egg to make up the difference.

You will need:

• Ingredients (see recipe card)
• Medium sized mixing bowl
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Glass measuring pitcher or other glass bowl
• Spatula
• Waffle iron
• Ladle
• Cooling rack (optional)

How to Make Sourdough Cornmeal Waffles

Here’s the step-by-step process on how to make these delicious (and beautiful!) waffles!

1 – Make the batter

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sourdough starter, flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, milk, and melted butter. Stir until well combined, cover, and allow to rest overnight (8-12 hours).

2 – Add the eggs and baking soda

The next morning, lightly grease and preheat a waffle iron. Add the baking soda and eggs to the risen waffle batter (it should look puffy by the morning), and beat until well combined.

3 – Fry the waffles and serve

Fry the waffles for 3 minutes or until golden. Serve fresh with your favourite toppings.

If you like this recipe, you may also like:

• Simple Sourdough Crêpes
• Overnight Sourdough Cinnamon Buns
• Easy No-Knead White Sourdough Bread
• Montreal-Style Sourdough Bagels

That’s all for now! If you like this recipe, make sure to leave me a comment below or as always, feel free to tag me in your beautiful breakfast pictures on Instagram @naomicakesofficial. I love to see that my recipes are being enjoyed!

Bye for now,

Naomi

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