It started snowing here this morning, which is rare for November in Seattle. The girls stared longingly outside, wishing for a snow day. I mean, why wouldn’t they, with a whopping 1/16th of an inch accumulated, and nothing sticking on either the sidewalks or streets?

You can see the huge snowfall, if you look past our yet unadorned Christmas tree.

Mara said to me, “Yes, mom, I know, I know. When you were a kid you walked to school backwards in the freezing snow, screaming all the way to school because it was so cold!”  Could it be that I have become that parent, the one who says, “When I was your age…”, but it’s true! I remember many a cold, snowy St. Louis winter’s day, walking backwards to school, because if you walked head-on into the biting wind, it would freeze little icicles in your nostrils and sting your nose and cheeks. After the girls left for school, I looked outside and felt the calm and quiet that always accompanies the first snow. I said to Matthew, “It really does kind of feel like a snow day, doesn’t it?”

So cozy in our kitchen this morning. I’m glad I don’t have to go to school.

Well, nothing takes the sting out of having to go to school when it’s snowing outside like a sourdough waffle breakfast. Actually, I make these all the time now, which is why I have to write about them. The girls like them in the morning before school. Mara just grabs one and eats it plain, as if it were a cookie or a donut. Millie prefers to have hers with homemade yogurt and maple syrup.

And here is Millie, perched precariously while preparing her morning waffle.

I have another favorite waffle recipe that I have been making for a couple of years, but could it be that this one is becoming the new favorite? Mara says she likes the flavor better (Hello, sourdough!), and Millie says they keep much better than the others (another nod to sourdough!)… we keep the extras in the fridge and pop them in the toaster for an easy before school breakfast. And even Matthew grabbed one today as he walked by the kitchen table; I love to see the look of surprise and delight on his face when something tastes better than he thinks it is going to.

Sourdough starter is the magic ingredient.

Sourdough Waffles

(Adapted from Emilie Raffa’s recipe, makes about a dozen 4″ waffles)

• 1 1/2 cups (~190 grams) all-purpose flour*
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup (~240 grams) sourdough discard
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 6 Tbsp melted unsalted butter

1. Melt butter and set aside to cool.
2. Turn your waffle iron on to preheat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in the sourdough discard until incorporated. Then whisk in the milk and butter.
5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until everything is well mixed. Do not over mix.
6. Ladle 1/2 cup of batter into each 4″ square of your waffle iron. Bake until the steam subsides.
7. Serve hot with all of your favorite toppings. Leftovers keep nicely in the fridge for at least a week… they’ve never lasted longer than that at our house.

Notes:

*If you are not using a kitchen scale, stir your flour to aerate and fluff it up before lightly sprinkling your flour by the spoonful into measuring cup, and use the straight edge of a knife to level the flour. By this method, your flour should weigh approximately 120 grams per cup. Also, you can replace 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour with any whole grain flour for added flavor.

**For spiced pumpkin waffles, add 1/2 cup pumpkin purée to the wet ingredients, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon allspice to the dry ingredients before blending. Really yummy!

Pumpkin waffle with yogurt and maple syrup.

And just for the fun of it…

From our recent annual trip to Trinity Tree Farm.