And yes, I am back to playing with sourdough starter. And because I don’t make a weekly meal plan or usually have even a vague idea of what ingredients I want to experiment with in the near future, I am often stuck with using sourdough discard. (If whatever I plan to make includes sourdough starter, that is. My penance for being lazy.) But even then, I sometimes get in over my head before I realize exactly what happened! Such is the case with this delightful recipe for sourdough waffles from the kingarthurbaking.com site.

It almost always takes me a while to wake up. Even after my morning coffee, I remain groggy until about 10:00 am. But a few mornings ago, I woke up early hungry for waffles. And not just any waffles. I hungered for sourdough waffles. And since I had a quick and easy recipe for sourdough pancakes using pancake mix, I thought I’d just pop onto the internet and come up with the perfect, easy, sourdough waffle recipe too that I could whip us in the next 10 minutes. Right!? Wrong! Didn’t happen.

But I did find this recipe, and even though it calls for sourdough starter discard, a sponge still needs to sit on your counter overnight contemplating the relative merits of using convection over regular heat while baking the perfect prime rib roast. (Or some other subject equally pithy.) So, you guessed it. No waffles for me that morning.

But the next morning the waffles were glorious. And very easy to prepare because half the work had been done the day before. (Better and better if you too are not at your best in the morning.) So, give these simple to prepare, light as a feather waffles a try. They are beyond delicious.

As always, greet each day with a big old smile on your face. (Coffee helps.) And never fail to remind yourself how lucky you are to be living in a country, though not perfect, a lot better than some.

I think we sometimes forget that luck has a lot to do with who and where we are today. Of course, luck is only part of the equation. Hard work also brought us to this point. But it was just sheer luck that gave us the parents we had, the country we were born in, our level of intelligence, our physical appearance, and any special talents we might possess. But the most important aspects of who we are as an individual, each of us has complete control over. If we are kind, nice, a good parent, a good friend, an honest and productive person, etc. – that is all on us. And we should take pride in those attributes. And use those qualities to make the world around us a better place to live. While always remembering that the rest, like looks and intelligence, was just plain old-fashioned good luck.

Peace and love to all.

Day 1: (overnight sponge)

½ c. sourdough discard

1 c. buttermilk

1 T. granulated sugar

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour  

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and let rest at room temperature (65 to 70-degrees) for about 12 hours, or overnight.

Day 2: (waffle batter)

1 lg. egg

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

¼ tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. baking soda

In a small mixing bowl, whisk the egg and melted butter together. Add to the overnight sponge, stirring just to combine.

Add the salt and baking soda, stirring to combine. (The batter will expand and may bubble a bit. Let rest for a few minutes before baking.)

To make waffles: Pour the batter onto your preheated, greased waffle iron, and bake according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Repeat with the remaining batter.

To make pancakes: Pour the batter onto a preheated, lightly greased griddle. Cook until bubbles form and pop on the top side of the pancakes, then turn over and cook until browned underneath.

Please note: Both the waffles and the pancakes are great topped with Strawberry, Rhubarb, and Blueberry Compote with Bourbon. (See recipe below.)   

STRAWBERRY, RHUBARB, AND BLUEBERRY COMPOTE WITH BOURBON

¾ c. finely chopped rhubarb

½ c. chopped strawberries

¼ c. blueberries

3 T. brown sugar

pinch kosher salt

2 tsp. bourbon

Combine chopped rhubarb, strawberries, and blueberries in a heavy saucepan. Add the brown sugar and salt; stir to coat evenly. Let sit until fruit has released its juices, about 15 minutes.

Bring fruit mixture to a light boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until fruit is soft and mixture has started to thicken, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in bourbon, and let cool, about 30 minutes. (Mixture should thicken a bit more as it cools.)

Place in a jar or storage container and refrigerate for up to a week. Can be warmed gently in your microwave.