Our Sourdough Story: Starter Tips and Overnight Waffles
One of my favorite ways to welcome guests in our rentals is with something fresh from my oven, usually sourdough oatmeal cookies, sometimes a jar of seasonal flowers. I picked up the habit after a host in Portland did the same for me, and I have never forgotten how it felt to walk in and find it. Baking is also how I unwind. This is the story of my sourdough, the books and tools behind it, and the waffles my family asks for most.
How I Started
In my twenties I wanted to be a master bread baker, so I bought a bread maker and a cookbook. I did not like the hole the kneading paddle left in the bottom of the loaf, so I started pulling the dough out and finishing it by hand. Then I moved on to a KitchenAid stand mixer.
I started baking sourdough when I lived in Flagstaff, Arizona, where I was also learning to bake at high altitude. A friend gave me Nancy Silverton's Breads from the La Brea Bakery, and I made my first starter the way the book teaches, with organic grapes, flour, and water. That starter lasted me many years and made a lot of good bread. I lost it when I moved back to North Carolina, and I started a new one in 2022, once life finally settled down at 909 W. Wendover.
What I Use Now
Flour. Organic unbleached flour from Costco. It is consistent, strong enough for good structure, and easy on the budget.
The book. Silverton's La Brea Bakery book is still my main guide for building and keeping a healthy starter.
The mixer. A vintage KitchenAid stand mixer with the dough hook on a low setting does most of my kneading.
Modern help. Little Spoon Farm has clear, beginner-friendly guides on starter care and fermentation timing.
Our Favorite: Overnight Sourdough Waffles
The waffles I make most often follow Nancy Silverton's overnight sourdough waffles, in the version adapted by Cynthia Brown with half whole grain flour and an overnight rest in the refrigerator. You can find the full recipe at Chic Eats, and the original is in Silverton's La Brea Bakery book. I use Sonora wheat when I have it. The overnight rest gives them their flavor and a crisp outside with a light inside, and a 200 degree oven keeps the first batch warm while I finish the rest.
My Starter Timing
This is the schedule I follow so the starter is at its strongest when I mix the waffle batter. A starter is ready when it has doubled within four to six hours of feeding, is full of bubbles, and smells mildly tangy rather than sour.
| Step | When | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Feed the starter | 12 to 24 hours before baking | Wakes it up if it has been in the fridge |
| Feed again | About 6 hours before mixing | Brings it to full strength |
| Peak activity | 4 to 6 hours after the last feeding | Best time to mix into batter or dough |
| Mix the waffle batter | The night before | Lets the batter ferment overnight |
| Cook the waffles | The next morning | The batter will be bubbly and ready |
Want Some Starter?
If you would like to try sourdough and need a starter, just ask. I am happy to share mine.
Keep reading: The Hands That Turn Houses Into Homes, and more from our kitchen and our rentals in the blog index.
Joy Watson Real Estate is an independent, non-corporate brokerage in Greensboro, NC. Joy Watson is a licensed North Carolina real estate broker (Broker-in-Charge). Questions about buying, selling, or renting in the Triad? Reach out through JoyWatsonRealEstate.com.
Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes Cookbook Oreo Cheesecakes were one of the most requested treats my youngest daughter Ellie asked for. I don’t read the list of ingredients in Oreos. I don’t want to know how many unpronounceable words there are. It is the only time I buy them because I love Oreos and I do not want to have them available to me all the time.
Little Spoon Farm Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies I use craisins and chocolate chips in the ones I bake. I have been leaving these treats in the homes I host as short-term furnished rentals. I stayed in an Airbnb in Portland Oregon a few years ago and the host left cookies for us. I love how personal it felt and it was a great stay. Since then, I have left a personal note welcoming guests and some baked items and flowers when they’re in season. In July we have the most beautiful show of sunflowers. It is one of my favorite times to walk through the yard and I love sharing these gifts with my guests. I feel like it shows guests that even if a strand of hair floated in the door while they were loading their items in, they are staying in a real house and are valued as humans and we hope they can value the thought and love we put into hosting them during their stay with us.
Toll House Pie is never wrong. Paired with Ice Cream or whipped cream, coffee, or even wine or whiskey. It’s so rich having a strong beverage makes it that much better. I have recently switched from my all-butter double piecrust recipe to a sourdough double all-butter piecrust recipe. I didn’t think I would notice an improvement but, it’s noticeably better and I won’t go back to the non-sourdough variety of pretty much anything I have a sourdough option for. Sourdough improves the flavor and texture and while I have zero sources or scientific documents as evidence, I feel like it is easier on my stomach to digest. I had several years where eating gluten would cause my face to break out and my stomach would be upset. I was gluten-free for a few years. I have been eating sourdough for several years now and no issues with my stomach or skin.
