GINGERBREAD / PIPARKAKUT

Brag alert: I make amazing gingerbread! Not even going to pretend to be shy about it. It’s very good. Whenever I make it I get asked for the recipe, so best to save it here on the blog for everyone to find.

Well it’s almost the same as I use. The below recipe is as close as I can get without some ingredients that I still haven’t found in England. If anyone knows where to get ground bitter/Seville orange zest, give me a shout.

The dough is soft so it will need time to set in the fridge before baking

Very important to note that you will not be able to bake these straight away. The dough should be prepared a day in advance and allowed to stand in the fridge overnight. I like to prepare mine a week or two in advance and freeze it. Then take it out to thaw a few hours before baking.

Ingredients:

  • 250g butter
  • 215g of caster sugar
  • 100 ml dark syrup. – In England I mix 50ml of black treacle or molasses with 50 ml of water.
  • 2 ts ground cinnamon (preferably Ceylon)
  • 1 ts ground ginger
  • 1 1/2 ts ground cloves
  • 1 ts ground cardamom
  • 1 egg (medium or large, either works)
  • 420g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 1/2 ts bicarbonate of soda
  1. Put syrup and spices in a pan and bring to boil. Take off the heat and cool down.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar together until combined.
  3. Beat in the spice syrup and egg.
  4. In a separate bowl, mix plain flour and bicarbonate of soda together and add in the dough. 
  5. Beat the dough until everything is fully incorporated.
  6. Press into a freeze proof dish and store in the fridge overnight. Or Freeze for up to 3 months.

If frozen, the dough doesn’t need too long to thaw. I like to get mine out of the freezer 1-2 hours before baking. 

Preheat over to 200°C

On a dusted (flour) surface, roll the dough out 3-4mm thick. Cut shapes out and bake them for 5-8 min.

The gingerbread will first expand in the oven and then shrink a bit again. When this shrinking has occurred the gingerbread is ready. You can bake a tiny bit longer if you prefer them a bit more crisp, but keep a close eye on them as they burn easily.

I never feel the need to decorate them for myself, but as presents I’ve made icing by mixing icing sugar with egg white or water. I’ve never measure the quantities for this, but I would start with a cup of icing sugar and half a teaspoon of egg white or water. Keep adding more liquid half a teaspoon at a time until you get a nice consistency paste. Thick enough to dry nicely, but loose enough for easy piping. 

Enjoy!

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