Larry and I stopped at a stand at the San Rafael farmers market a few months ago and bought a sugar waffle. We walked away and started to eat it… it was so delicious we went back and got another one. I was watching the guy make them. The batter is more like a dough, formed into a ball before putting it into the waffle iron. I searched around the Internet and found a recipe that looked good, and even ordered some pearl sugar (which is supposedly one of the key ingredients). The batter was difficult. It was gloppy. I kept adding flour after everything had been mixed together, but he thought the first one was the best. I’ll need to keep trying – there are several other recipes that look promising.

Sugar Waffles
From Chowhound.com

Batter 1
1 1/4 ounces fresh cake yeast or 2 1/2 packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 large egg, beaten
1/3 cup milk, warmed to 100 degrees F

Batter 2
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup pearl sugar or 3/4 cup crushed sugar cubes

Prepare Batter 1:
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water with 1 tbsp. flour and the sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes until foamy. Sift the remaining flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture, egg and milk. Mix well with a wooden spoon to make a smooth batter. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until the batter has doubled or tripled in volume.

Meanwhile, prepare Batter 2:
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the butter, flour, salt, vanilla, baking powder, cinnamon (if using), granulated sugar, and pearl sugar into a paste. With your hands, work Batter 2 into Batter 1 until well mixed. Shape the dough into 10 balls, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 ounces each. Flatten each ball into a disk and dust lightly with flour. Bake in a medium-hot waffle iron. Don’t let the iron become too hot or the sugar will burn. Bake until the waffles are golden brown but still slightly soft, 3-4 minutes. Serve the sugar waffles lukewarm or cooled to room temperature on a rack. Sugar waffles will keep well for several days in an airtight container, if you manage to have any left over.