Sometimes you get too much starter. You may decide to throw some away, but you may also decide to keep it and make use of it. This recipe is one of ideas to handle the surplus.

Czasem będziesz mieć zbyt dużo zakwasu. Możesz trochę wyrzucić, ale możesz go wykorzystać. Ten przepis jest jednym z przykładów, jak poradzić sobie z naddatkiem.

Usually when I get a craving for waffles, I want them now. I’ve heard about superiority of the ones made using sourdough or yeast, and now it’s time to verify the claims.

The recipe comes from “Bread” by J. Hamelman (sources).

You can also use the dough to make pancakes.

Ingredients

Makes around 12-13 – may not be enough for four adults.

Dough

• 42 g honey (not to strong flavour)
• 227 g warm water (hot, if the honey is crystallized)
• 6 g salt
• 2 eggs
• 227 g sifted white strong wheat flour

Levain

• 255 g liquid wheat levain, 125 % hydration. If you have a different one just like me, you’ll need to prepare something that resembles this one

Final ingredients

• 6 g sifted baking powder
• 3 g sifted baking soda
• 85 g melted butter

Preparation

The levain

Mr Hamelman usually uses a white wheat flour liquid levain, 125 % hydration, I use wholemeal wheat flour, 100 % hydration. Hydration is a weight ratio of water to all flour used in the recipe. To make a starter of his type, I need to do some maths. 255 g of his starter means 140 g water and 115 g flour. I also need some of my starter, let’s say 30 g, to reduce bran content significantly. It will probably take a whole day to mature, which is fine with me. It’s just time, and I’m getting used to waiting.

Anyways, putting things back together:

My levain is 15 g flour and 15 g water, so I need to add 100 g white bread flour and 125 g water. I’m preparing it about 12 hours before making the dough.

Initial Dough

1. Mix water, honey, salt and eggs in a bowl
2. Add flour, mix to form a rather runny dough
3. Cover, put into the fridge
4. In another bowl, measure the levain. Cover, put into the fridge
5. Wait at least one hour, up to twelve. I’m waiting around ten, depends on the day

Final dough

Ingredients mixed together (butter goes last)

1. Mix the dough, the levain, baking powder, soda and butter together

2. Make waffles/pancakes
   

   Waffles in the maker

3. Send me pictures with serving ideas
   

   The crumb

My two observations were that it takes quite long to get them baked inside (know your waffle maker) and that honey with strong flavour (like buckwheat) should rather be avoided, as it takes over the whole taste.

Waffle with whiped cream and Mascarpone cheese, topped with home made sour cherries preserve

Waffles with icing sugar, maple sirup and sour cherries preserve juice