Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles

These easy sourdough pumpkin waffles are the perfect way to serve a hearty breakfast on crisp mornings. Like most sourdough discard recipes, you can use either sourdough discard or active sourdough starter, making them very versatile. 

Ingredients

• Sourdough Starter – you can use sourdough discard or active starter in this recipe.
• Pumpkin Puree – I have used homemade pumpkin puree, but using canned pumpkin puree is fine too (and often much more convenient).
• Vanilla Extract – this adds a rich vanilla undertone to these delightful sourdough pumpkin waffles or pancakes.
• Eggs
• Butter – I’ve used salted butter, melted (and cooled slightly). You can use unsalted butter if you prefer. Use coconut oil or light vegetable oil instead of melted butter if you want to make these complete dairy free.
• All-purpose Flour – Swap the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavor – or just to increase the nutrient value of these waffles. You may need to add a little extra pumpkin puree to thin the mixture out as whole wheat will absorb more moisture than all-purpose flour.
• Salt – you need a pinch of salt to cut through the sweetness.
• Baking Powder – this adds lift to your waffles or pancakes. Without the baking powder these waffles will be flat and dense. I don’t use baking soda in this recipe, so make sure you’re using baking powder.
• Granulated Sugar – while the pumpkin puree is quite sweet, you’ll need to add sugar to these waffles to ensure they aren’t too savory in flavor. Swap the white sugar for brown sugar for a yummy caramel twist! You could even add little molasses as well!
• Pumpkin Spice – you can use a ready made pumpkin spice blend or make your own if you prefer (I’ve put instructions for this further down).

How To Make Sourdough Pumpkin Waffles

These simple to mix and make sourdough waffles are so easy, you could even make them on a sleepy Sunday morning! I love having my kids help in the kitchen with these. They absolutely love them and the bonus is they are eating pumpkin (like seriously, they don’t like pumpkin!).

It’s completely fine to use whatever type of waffle iron or maker you have on hand (whether it’s a cast iron waffle maker or a proper Belgian waffle maker). I’ve just used a regular electric non-stick waffle maker. The secret is to ensure that you have a hot waffle iron for crispy waffles. And if you don’t have a waffle maker, you can just cook the batter as pancakes.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together sourdough starter, pumpkin puree, vanilla and eggs until well combined (it’s best if your starter or discard is at room temperature). Pour in the melted butter and stir through the starter mixture.

In a separate large bowl, mix together flour salt, baking powder (pumpkin spice if using) and sugar. Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until it forms a thick, spoonable batter. If using for pancakes, add a little milk and make the mixture just a little thinner.

Heat up your waffle iron or waffle maker and spoon mixture onto the hot plates. Cook to your liking (these waffles are delicious soft or crispy). I cook them a little longer, making them brown and crispy. I don’t spray my waffle iron with oil but you can if you want to. Pop them on a cooling rack with plenty of room to stop them going soft.

How To Ferment The Batter

You can ferment this sourdough pumpkin waffle batter if you really want to amp up the sourdough health benefits (like a reduction in phytic acid, an increase in nutrient bio availability and all the good bacteria that sourdough starter brings). There are a few extra steps to achieve this fermentation process, but it’s well worth it. To do this you will need to mix the following quantities in a bowl and allow it to sit overnight:

• 100 g sourdough starter
• 200 g pumpkin puree
• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 50 g sugar

The next morning, add the remainder of the ingredients to the batter ferment, mix and cook the waffles as per the instructions. This is basically a pumpkin version of my overnight long fermented sourdough waffles. It’s a lovely way to enjoy these waffles on a Saturday morning, after they’ve fermented overnight.

Just a note here. There are a few comments below asking why the long fermented version has different amounts of flour and starter. Basically, the recipe uses 200 grams of sourdough discard and 150 grams of flour, equally 350 grams total. You use this straight away, so I’ve used more starter here. In the long fermented version, I’ve used 100 grams of sourdough starter and 250 grams of flour. This also equals 350 grams. The difference is that this has time to ferment, so you will end up with a total of 350 grams of fully fermented flour, unlike the no wait version, where you will have 200 grams of starter with 150 grams of unfermented flour. But always the same amount.

How To Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice

Pumpkin spice is a mixture of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves (it’s sometimes called pumpkin pie spice). If you live in the US, chances are you are very familiar with pumpkin pie spice and can easily find it at the grocery store.

If you live outside of the US then you can easily make pumpkin pie spice. I used this recipe to make a jar of pumpkin spice and then I used a teaspoon of it in this sourdough pumpkin waffle recipe. I have chosen to leave out the Allspice (but you can add it if you like):

• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

So you basically add 4 parts cinnamon to 1 part ginger and nutmeg and 1/2 part ground cloves. You can then create as much or as little as you like!

I have been using this fragrant fall inspired spice in these sourdough pumpkin muffins and sourdough pumpkin cinnamon rolls!

Serving Suggestions

This has fast become a favorite sourdough waffle recipe in my house, particularly because they can be made as sourdough pumpkin pancakes as well as waffles! And so my family have tried out a bunch of different toppings and serving suggestions. Here are some of our favorite toppings:

• Served warm with lashings of spiced pumpkin cream cheese (this stuff is so addictive!).
• Keep things simple by serving these sourdough pancakes or waffles alongside a dish of cultured butter.
• Favored butter is the perfect simple accompaniment to these waffles. I highly recommend this whipped cinnamon honey butter or whipped cranberry orange butter. It melts into the waffles and is oh so good!
• Pancakes or waffles topped with drizzles of fresh whipped cream and real maple syrup (my kids will drink this stuff if I let them).
• Stack these waffles up and top with good quality ice cream, homemade caramel sauce and a handful of crushed pecans – voila, dessert is sorted!
• Give these waffles a fresh twist by serving them with a dusting of icing sugar, fresh fruit like strawberries and blueberries.
• If you love savory toppings, these pumpkin waffles pair perfectly with maple bacon and poached eggs for the most important meal of the day … breakfast!

How To Freeze & Reheat

These sourdough pumpkin waffles freeze really well! I love having a stash of them in the freezer for quick school day breakfasts at any time of year!

I make a bulk batch of sourdough pumpkin waffles and then I lay the cooled waffles onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. I then freeze them like that and then add them to a resealable plastic bag. This way they don’t stick together and I can grab out a couple as I need them.

To reheat the waffles I simply pop the frozen waffles into a warm oven (around 375ºF/190ºC) until they are warmed through and crispy. They can also be reheated in a toaster or toaster oven.

I suggest these are eaten within an hour of making them, unless they are going to be frozen. They can be kept warm in the oven after cooking if you want to bake a big batch and then serve them all at once. This is great if you’re hosting Thanksgiving breakfast for a crowd!

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