Breakfast Sour Milk Waffles

Sour milk waffles are an old-school cottage-breakfast trick. Slightly soured milk reacts with baking soda the second they meet, releasing the carbon dioxide that gives waffles their lift, no baking powder needed. The result is a softer, tangier crumb than the average buttermilk waffle, with a crackly crisp exterior straight off the iron.

The other half of the lift comes from whipped egg whites. The whites get beaten stiff and folded in last so the batter pillows up with air. That fold matters, stir them in and you collapse the foam, killing half the texture. Vegetable shortening instead of butter keeps the crumb tender by coating the flour proteins, which helps these waffles stay soft inside even after they cool.

Chef Tips

• No sour milk on hand? Stir a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice into a cup of regular milk and let it sit five minutes until it clabbers. Real buttermilk works too.
• Fold the egg whites in with a wide rubber spatula in three additions, going under and over from the center. Resist the urge to whisk.
• Get the waffle iron screaming hot before the first pour. A cool iron means waffles that stick and steam instead of crisping.
• Don’t open the iron too soon. The waffle isn’t done until the steam slows from a billow to a wisp.

Variations

• Add a teaspoon of vanilla or a pinch of cinnamon to the batter for a sweeter morning waffle.
• Swap shortening for melted butter for richer flavor at the cost of a slightly denser crumb.
• Stir a half cup of fresh blueberries through just before folding in the whites.