This velvety waffle is named for the rallying cry “Black Power,” coined by the militant leader Stokely Carmichael, who later changed his name to Kwame Ture (a reference to Kwame Nkrumah and Sékou Touré, the first presidents of Ghana and Guinea, respectively).
The native Trinidadian came to the South Bronx as a teen. He would eventually become the leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), formed from the sit-in protests that fought to desegregate dining spaces in the South. He then became prime minister of the Black Panther Party, but he had used the term “Black Power” before then. We pay homage to the Black Panther Party’s groundbreaking community-based free breakfast program, which inspired the federally run version launched in the 1970s and still in place throughout the country today. Ture eventually separated from the Black American groups he had helped form and became a Pan-Africanist. He lived in Guinea for the last three decades of his life, convinced that the United States was incapable of structurally creating equity for Black people, but his thinking shaped the modern era of political organizing and civil rights and has been a model for antiracist activists of myriad cultural backgrounds.
In our efforts to explore dairy-free ingredients in a base, we love how the mix of cocoa powder and coconut creates a slightly nutty, mild flavor. It’s not too rich or sweet and makes a moist waffle.
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Black Power Waffle
This velvety waffle is named for the rallying cry “Black Power,” coined by the militant leader Stokely Carmichael, who later changed his name to Kwame Ture (a reference to Kwame Nkrumah and Sékou Touré, the first presidents of Ghana and Guinea, respectively).
Ingredients
2 cups (240 g) pastry flour or all- purpose flour
1 cup (120 g) unsweetened black cocoa powder (preferably King Arthur)
1 cup (70 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup (50 g) cane sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon (1 g) baking soda
1 (14- ounce/400 ml) can coconut milk
1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut oil
2 1/4 teaspoons (9 g) active dry yeast
2 large (100 g) eggs
1/2 cup (120 ml) chocolate syrup or sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon black food gel (optional)
1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water Plant- based butter, sorghum syrup, sliced banana, or vanilla or coconut ice cream, for serving
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, shredded coconut, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Make a well in the center. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, warm the coconut milk and coconut oil over low heat, until the oil is melted and the temperature reaches 110°F (45°C). Remove from the heat and whisk in the yeast. Allow the yeast to bloom for 10 minutes. The mixture should be bubbling on the surface. Add the eggs, chocolate syrup, and food gel (if using) and whisk thoroughly for about 30 seconds, until the mixture has thickened slightly.
Pour the coconut milk mixture into the well in the flour mixture. Whisk together to make a smooth batter, switching to a rubber spatula as the mixture thickens, if needed. Add the warm water and mix in.
Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes. (The longer the batter rests, the fluffier the waffles will be.)
Prep a waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Make the waffles according to the iron’s specifications. Stack the waffles as you make them on a plate and cover with a clean, dry dish towel to keep them warm. Serve with your preferred butter, sorghum syrup, banana, or vanilla or coconut ice cream (or any combination that rocks your world).
Notes
Excerpted from Ghetto Gastro Presents Black Power Kitchen by Jon Gray, Pierre Serrao, and Lester Walker, with Osayi Endolyn (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2022.
Food photographs by Nayquan Shuler and atmospheric photographs by Joshua Woods.
