Applesauce Sesame Whole Wheat Waffles light up any morning!
Since I showed off my vintage Griswold waffle iron in the last post, I felt it only appropriate to share the recipe that makes this little cast iron batter baker sing: apple sesame whole wheat waffles or sesame crunch waffles as they are also known. As with all things Tom, there’s a story, though a short one at that. When I lived in Seattle, the Sunlight Cafe was a regular breakfast stop where I enjoyed (in my humble opinion) the world’s best waffle. Crispy, flavorful, grainy, and delicious, the Sunlight Cafe’s waffle had bulk, density, heft, and chew-worthiness. For me, a light airy waffle is best served to an appreciative dieter.
I’m not a vegetarian, but the Sunlight Cafe, Seattle’s longest-running vegetarian eating establishment, showed me vegetarian food could knock my socks off, if given the chance. Cafe Flora is another shining example of what vegetarian food aspires to be. Here on the island, we have wonderful Snapdragon Bakery and Cafe, which simply serves delicious, creative food, that just happens to be vegetarian.
Over the years, I’ve tried to find a decent recipe similar to the Sunlight Cafe’s waffle wonder, but to no avail. Every recipe I tried, disappointed me—light, airy, as disheartening as my first popover. And then, just last year, I tried again, searching online for a recipe worthy of my newly acquired Griswold waffle iron. The clouds parted, the sun shone through, and a choir of angels sang softly, and then, the blog Davebakes.com appeared as numero uno in my search results.
I pored over one of Dave’s blog posts, mumbling, yes, yes, this is the recipe. Give me an Amen, Dave! And while we were on the same quest for the best whole-wheat waffle around, Dave got there first, and I say amen to that too, especially since he’s a generous soul who shares his recipes. Thank you Dave, from the top of my syrup pitcher to the bottom of my waffle iron.
So here’s Dave’s sesame crunch waffle recipe, with just a minor modification: I substitute honey or sugar for agave nectar.
Sesame Crunch Waffles
(from Dave, inspired by the Sunlight Cafe in Seattle)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1/4 cup agave nectar (or cane sugar or honey)
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sesame seeds
Method
1. Preheat waffle maker/waffle iron
2. Combine and whisk the first four ingredients in a large bowl
3. In a separate bowl, sift and combine the next six dry ingredients. Stir with a whisk in the bowl to ensure the ingredients are well combined.
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Small lumps are okay, but you don’t want large lumps.
5. When waffle maker or iron is ready, grease with either butter, or spray with butter flavored cooking spray. Follow manufacturer’s directions on making waffles. Usually waffles are ready within 5 minutes, but different waffle irons and waffle makers may vary in cooking times.
6. When waffle is ready, place on a plate and top with maple syrup and any other toppings you’d like to add. I added whipped cream, bananas, and blueberries.
Oh, and do yourself a favor, these waffles (and you) deserve real maple syrup. It does cost more, but there’s nothing better atop chunks of bready goodness than runny pools of melted butter and maple syrup.
Yummm Tom…your waffles look fabulous! I love the addition of sesame seeds and applesauce. I must try to make a gluten free version – thanks for sharing. 🙂
Let me know how it goes, Ina.
Uh oh. Time to haul out the ginormously heavy Belgian waffle maker. Do you think it would handle these waffs? The waffles it makes are thicker, with deeper squares, than your trusty Griswold, and normally we make a very light, fluffy batter with beaten egg whites.
Kathy I think it will work wonderfully, as the batter has structure with all of those sesame seeds, and it crisps up nicely.
Yay! Thank you Tom. I’ve been missing Sunlight’s waffles since I’ve become gluten free. I’m going to try this recipe but with GF flour mix. Wish me luck! My mouth is watering…
Let me know how it goes with the G-F flour. I’m sure they’ll be delicious!
Amen! 😉
I always share recipes with a little fear that someone might try it and either find out it doesn’t work, or else hate it! But that looks like it worked out! Thank you Tom!
Hi Dave, yep, you’ve got a winner here. I appreciate you re-creating and sharing the recipe of this breakfast favorite.
Looks absolutely delicious. Tom. The old waffle iron is a gem!
Hi Tom, typed in Sunlit Cafe waffles…and there you were. When I lived in Seattle they were my absolute favorite! Years later I decided to try and track down the recipe (last year actually) and up popped Davebakes.com.I could remember the unusual sesame seeds in the batter but not the apple sauce. What a joy to finally have this recipe. They were made immediately…and the FS (food sensation) of eating them with butter and warm maple syrup was exactly as I had remembered!! It is nice to find people like you and Dave who also revere these waffles.
So, I stuck around on your blog for awhile and checked it out.
My favorite fruit is SWEET CHERRIES so I grabbed your sweet cherry pickle recipe. Oh boy, looking forward to making this when summer arrives.
Saw that you were looking to adopt a big black cat…hope it worked out for you and Buddy.There has always been a feline in my life! Mine just crawled up into my lap while I am writing this.
O.K. enough waxing on…Time to start my seemingly unending quest to find another legendary (I think) Seattle culinary treasure, the old ORIGINAL El Gaucho BBQ dipping sauce for their Argentine beef sandwiches served at their only location in downtown Seattle (6th and Olive?) in the mid 70’s early 80’s.
I do not do much stuff on line but I am going to subscribe to your blog. Cheers
Hi Kris, so nice to meet you and welcome to Tall Clover. Yep that is one fine waffle recipe and memory to boot. I’m currently trying to find the recipe for another Seattle restaurant favorite, Place Pigalle dried apricot tart. Stay tuned I may just have come up with a close second to the original. Cheers! Thanks for the kind words and the visit.
Tom…I look forward to seeing the dried apricot tart on your blog and anything else that comes along. I never dined at Place Pigalle but it was MAGIC…(many people told me over the years). Good luck with that tart!
Just found your recipe for the Sunlit waffles, my favorite! Serve these with bananas and yogurt plus real maple syrup like they do at Sunlit, superb .