(Difficult topic, yummy recipe. Read at your own risk. You have been warned.)
Sourdough starter is easy. Flour, warm water, a little time. That’s it. Feed once a week on average, keep in the fridge when not being used or fed. Easy Peasy. Having sourdough starter in the fridge makes me feel powerful…..independent….earthy.
What we make with sourdough takes time. It takes planning and a little effort.
In today’s world of hurry up and GO, (dammit!) breakfast is often a granola bar as you grab your things and race out the door to sit in line at the drive through of Starbucks for a $6 cup of coffee. “I don’t have the time….” How many times have I said that… Not enough time.
Weekends are special. For those of us who are childless by choice, we’ve usually got no place to go and nuthin’ to do. A great time for sourdough waffles.
Sourdough waffles require an extra bit of effort and a lot of time. For pancakes, combine mix and water and a few minutes in a hot frying pan and voila! Breakfast. Waffles are more of a commitment. They have more ingredients, a waffle iron that has to be pre-heated, spritzed with cooking spray or butter, and then the waffles come out yummy, crispy….and frustratingly only 2 at a time. Making waffles for more than two people is an exercise in patience.
And an expression of love.
Recently, a good college friend decided he had run out of time and chose to leave this life. Since my return to the Pacific Northwest we had talked and texted numerous times about getting together for a visit. He’d never met my husband. We have a nice house with two guest rooms. “Come on over for a visit!” “Oh, sorry….we’re gone that weekend. How about two weeks later. No? Well….soon though!”
I thought there would be plenty of “next weekend….next month….next time…” Turns out….not so much.
Did he not know I really wanted him to visit? Was travel an issue? Did I not ask enough times?
Curt….I would have made you breakfast. We would have sat in my living room over a second cup of coffee and looked through old pictures. You would have flashed that bright vibrant smile over and over and laughed with me while we shared stories with my bemused husband. If finances were an issue, were you embarrassed? Did you think I would care? Should I have offered you money for a plane ticket? We could have sat out in my backyard with a glass of really great wine (I know you loved it) and enjoyed the spring breeze and the quiet. I could have introduced you to even more lovely, kind people who would have found you charming and great fun to be with. They, like many of us, would have fallen victim to your amazing long eyelashes, and your silly, quick wit.
We might have discussed your desire to start using the term “updog” in the wine notes that you wrote for your job.
Curt: “I’m sensing notes of updog in this wine.”
Companion: “What’s “updog”?
Curt: “Not much man, what’s up with you?”
Your goofy sense of humor is part of what turned me off initially and caused me to almost write you off as silly and sophomoric. That would have been a mistake.
Maybe you would have shared some of the things that were haunting you. We might have worked on finding some niche of peace and happiness to soothe the hurt in your heart.
Now it’s my heart that is hurting. Dozens of friends and family members are breathless with the pain of losing you. The shock that you are suddenly….gone.
It’s a waste….and honestly I’m pretty pissed off that instead of reaching out to someone with whom you’d had heartfelt discussions late into the night, you chose to exit stage left.
I’m obsessed with questions to which I will NEVER have an answer.
And I’m resolved. I’m resolved to keep those I’m close to as close as they will allow. To hug too often and too tightly. To begin and end every day telling my husband that he is loved.
With all due respect to the producers of the TV show M*A*S*H, and the writer and performer of the theme song, suicide is NOT painless. And the changes it brings me are a heightened sense of the preciousness of the people we love and the time we have now.
Goodbye, my friend. You’d have loved the waffles.
“Suicide is Painless”
Through early morning fog I see
Visions of the things to be
The pains that are withheld for me
I realize and I can see
That suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it
If I please
The game of life is hard to play
I’m gonna lose it anyway
The losing card I’ll someday lay
So this is all I have to say
Suicide is painless (suicide)
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it
If I please
The sword of time will pierce our skins
It doesn’t hurt when it begins
But as it works its way on in
The pain grows stronger, watch it grin
Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it
If I please
A brave man once requested me
To answer questions that are key
“Is it to be or not to be?”
And I replied, “Oh, why ask me?”
Suicide is painless
It brings on many changes
And I can take or leave it
If I please
And you can do the same thing
If you please
Songwriter: Jack Vanzel
Performed by Johnny Mandel
Sourdough Waffles
Equipment
- 1 Waffle Iron
Ingredients
The Night Before
- 2 Cups All purpose flour (300g)
- 2 Cups Buttermilk (475g)
- 2 Tbsp Sugar (30g)
- ¾ Cup Sourdough Starter discard (unfed) (215g)
The Morning Of
- Entire overnight sponge
- ¼ Cup Butter (melted) (55g)
- 2 Large Eggs
- ¾ Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Baking soda
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon (optional)
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract (optional)
Instructions
The Night Before
- Overnight Sponge: stir the unfed starter discard and measure out 3/4 cup (215g). In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, buttermilk and the 3/4 cup (215g) starter.
- Cover with a kitchen towel or silicone bowl cover and leave on the counter overnight, letting the sponge rest at a room temperature between 65℉ – 70℉ overnight, or 12 hours.
The Morning Of
- In the morning, start by preheating your waffle iron. Peek at your sponge and see how much it grew! (Older kids love this part.)
- Beat together the butter and eggs in a small bowl. Stir into the overnight sponge.
- Add the salt, baking soda and optional ingredients if using, and stir to combine. You’ll notice the batter start to produce bubbles – this is how you know it’s ready!
- Spray cooking oil on your preheated waffle iron and pour batter onto the plate. Close the lid and bake according to manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Tip: Place a cooling rack on a baking sheet in a warm oven to hold your waffles as you cook the remainder. This will allow air to circulate around the waffles, preventing them from becoming soggy on the bottom.
- Tip: To freeze, allow to cool completely on a cooling rack, then stack and place in freezer bags. Parchment paper in between waffles is optional, but not necessary. Reheat in microwave or toaster.