Scarlett WGingerbread
March 4th 2008 11:13
Gingerbread
About Gingerbread
Gingerbread is a sweet that can take the form of a cake or a cookie in which the predominant flavour is ginger.
The cake form tends to be a dense, treaclely spice cake. Some recipes add mustard, pepper, raisins, nuts, and/or other spices / ingredients to the batter. In the United States, the cake is more often served in the winter, particularly at Christmastime.
Originally, the term gingerbread (rom Latin zingiber via Old French gingebras) referred to preserved ginger, then to a confection made with honey and spices.
Gingerbread is often translated into French as pain ďépices (literally bread of spices). Pain ďépices is a French pastry also made with honey and spices, but not crispy.
Makes about 25 biscuits, or 12 men and women
115 gm / 4oz soft brown sugar
175 ml / 5½ fl oz golden syrup
90 gm / 3¼ oz butter
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
500 gm / 1 lb plain flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs, beaten
1. Combine sugar, golden syrup, butter, spices and fresh ginger in a heavy-based pan over low heat, and let melt, stirring.
2. Remove from heat and cool for 2 minutes, then quickly stir in bicarbonate of soda until light and fluffy.
3. Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
4. Make a well in the centre, add eggs and gradually add the syrup, stirring until all flour is incorporated and you have a dough.
5. Wrap dough in plastic and chill for 1 hour.
6. Heat oven to 350ºF / 180ºC.
7. Roll out the dough thinly on a floured surface.
8. Cut into the shapes of men, women, animals, stars, trees or rounds, and place on trays lined with baking paper.
9. Bake for 10 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from tray.
11. Cool on wire rack, and store in airtight container.
**From “Favourite Food by Jill Dupleix” ** and ““Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
| 142 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
