Not a fan of waste and needed to find out what to do with leftover leaven.

I experimented with both waffles and pancakes.

One day I noticed that the product was heavy and determined it was buttermilk causing the issue. I then decided to taste the buttermilk in comparison to the leaven and noticed that the flavor profile was similar. So I modified the recipe, replacing the buttermilk with leaven to see what would happen.

The result was a extremely light waffle, not full of sourdough flavor but just enough. I now dont use buttermilk because it made the final product heavy and dense.

Dry Ingredients
125 g of wheat flour
2 g (1/2 tsp salt)
8 g (2 tsp) of baking powder (wait)
1 g (1/4 tsp) of baking soda (wait)

**If using freshly milled flour let the ingredients soak for at least 30 minutes before adding the baking soda and baking powder. This soaking time allows the fresh wheat to absorb the liquid and delivers a better product. The reason I wait on adding the bp/bs is that the active ingredients only last for about 30 minutes, so I add them only when I am ready to cook the product. If you are like me I only have 1 waffle maker, so that 30 minutes goes by quickly.

Wet Ingredients
1 Egg
250 g Milk
4 g (1 tsp) Vanilla Extract
12 g (1 tbsp) Olive Oil
100 g leaven

Whisk the wet ingredients together and then add the flour.
**Always add the dry to the wet because it keeps the flour from sticking to the bowl and creating lumps

At 1/2 cup per waffle I get about 6 with this recipe.

TIP
I added all the ingredients, except the baking soda and baking powder. I then put that mix in the refrigerator overnight and add those additional ingredients just before I am ready to make the product.

Freezing
Believe it or not, there is a very good technique when freezing bread, dough, pastries, etc. It does require a bigger freezer but allows you to keep the product separate for easy thawing.

Wire racks are valuable because they allow the product to breathe on the underside. This is what makes pastries soggy.

Place the product on a wire rack where each item is by itself, flat on the rack. Place the whole rack in the freezer. After about 30 minutes the product can be placed in a storage container or bag. This keeps them separate and all that bag frost is gone. Now it’s to the toaster oven only as needed instead of defrosting the whole bag. Fresher longer and a great breakfast when you want it.