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Stack of golden sourdough waffles in the Norwegian heart shape on a grey speckled plate

Sourdough Waffles — Soft, Savory, No Resting Needed

Soft, foldable sourdough waffles with a savory tang — closer to bread than to dessert, and ready in 40 minutes with no resting time.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 waffles
Course: Breakfast, brunch, Lunch, Snack
Cuisine: Nordic, Norwegian, Scandinavian
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g active sourdough starter ¾ cup + 1 tbsp — recently fed and bubbly
  • 200 g all-purpose flour 1⅔ cups
  • 200 g cold water ¾ cup + 2 tbsp
  • 40 g honey 2 tbsp
  • 5 g baking soda 1 tsp — whisked in just before cooking
  • 3 g fine salt ½ tsp
  • butter for greasing the iron

Equipment

  • Heart-shaped waffle iron The thin Norwegian heart plates are what make these foldable. Chef-tested pick for US kitchens — Nordic irons run on 230V and won't work on US power.
  • Digital kitchen scale This batter is three 200 g measures, so weighing takes seconds and removes all guesswork.
  • Mixing bowl with a pour spout The batter goes straight from the bowl onto the hot iron — a spout keeps it off the counter.
  • Balloon whisk The batter should come together smooth in under a minute.
  • Pastry brush For buttering the plates before every waffle.

Method
 

  1. Mix the batter. Whisk the active starter, flour and cold water together until smooth. It should be thick but pourable — closer to pancake batter than to bread dough.
  2. Turn the iron on. Set it to medium-high and let it come up to temperature while you finish the batter — it should be fully hot before the baking soda goes in.
  3. Season, then add the baking soda last. Whisk in the honey and salt, then the baking soda as the final thing you do before cooking. The batter will foam and lighten within seconds — that is the reaction you want, and it does not wait for you.
  4. Butter the plates and pour. Brush the hot iron with butter, then pour about 100 g of batter into the center and close the lid
    Sourdough waffle batter being poured onto a hot buttered heart-shaped waffle iron
  5. Cook. 3–6 minutes, depending on your iron and how dark you like them. The steam dying down is a better signal than the clock.
    Golden sourdough waffle in an open heart-shaped waffle iron, cooked and ready to lift out
  6. Stack them as they come off. Pile them on a plate under a clean kitchen towel — the trapped steam is what keeps them soft and foldable. Brush the plates with butter again before every waffle, not just the first one.
    Stack of golden sourdough waffles in the Norwegian heart shape on a grey speckled plate

Notes

Chef's tip: the baking soda goes in last, and the iron should already be hot when it does. A sourdough batter is acidic, and baking soda reacts with that acid the moment the two meet. It is a one-shot reaction — get it in while the iron is heating and the lift ends up in the waffle instead of in the bowl.
  • Consistency: if the batter has thickened while it sat, loosen it with a splash of cold water until it pours in a steady ribbon.
  • Storing: they keep in the fridge for two days and freeze well. Lay them flat with parchment between each one before bagging. Reheat straight from frozen in a toaster or a dry pan — never a microwave, which turns them rubbery.