Fall is Here!!
So in the spirit of pumpkin spice everything I thought why don't we through in some gingerbread too! I hope you enjoy this recipe.....
To make ginger bread of Almonds
Take a quarter of a pound of Almonds blanched
put them into a morter, put to them a quarter of a pound of sugar beaten, and half a score of dates cut small, beat all these together until they be as small as for Marchpain, put thereto an ounce of cinnamon, an ounce of ginger searched and a little sanders. beate all these together one hour after you make little cakes of it, and lay them upon your mold to print, and cast of the powder of cinnamon and ginger between the mold and it so it doo not cleave, dry them before the fire till they be hard, and so lay them up in boxes and they will keep all the year.
**Note that this recipe is From Lady Barbara Fleming's Manuscript Receipt Book (1673)**
To make another kind of gingerbread
Take a quart of honey, put it into a great skillet on the fire and when it begineth to seeth, put thereto a pint of strong ale, & scum it clear, then put soo much grated bread as will make it like unto dow and put thereto halfe a pound of Liquorish, as much Aniseeds, and a quarter of a pound of ginger being finely searced with two ounces of graines, then take it out of your skillet and worke it on a table as you doo flower to dough to make it stiffe, then make it in cakes, put powder of Liquorish and Aniseeds upon your moulds so it cleave not and so lay them upon a board till they be dry, then lay them up in boxes.
**Note this is from lady Barbara Fleming's Manuscript Receipt Book (1673)**
Now for more easier and modernish recipe is here. I know at times trying to cook historical recipes is very hard at times.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 1/2 cups flour, plus more for rolling surface
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 large egg, lightly beaten
royal icing
sprinkles, cinnamon candies, or any other decorations of your choice.
Directions:
-In a medium saucepan, heat the molasses to the simmering point.
-Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it melts.
-Stir in the brown sugar. Allow to cool.
-In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon.
-Add the cooled molasses and the egg to the flour mixture and mix very well until a dough forms. You may need to use your hands to really incorporate the wet mixture into the dry mixture.
-Wrap dough in wax or parchment paper and chill for 1-2 hours, or until firm enough to roll.
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer chilled dough to a lightly floured rolling surface and roll out the dough to one-quarter inch thickness. I like to roll out a quarter of the dough at a time rather than trying to roll all of it out at once.
-Cut cookies with your choice of cookie cutter. I chose a traditional gingerbread man, but you can get creative with any kind of cookie cutter you’d like.
-Transfer cut dough to a baking sheet that has been lightly greased with nonstick cooking spray or lined with a silicone baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes. The cookies will puff up, but won’t spread much. Add dough scraps to the next batch of dough and continue rolling out, cutting and baking cookies till all the dough is gone.
-Cool cookies completely on a rack before decorating with royal icing and decorative sprinkles and candies.
-Let your cookies dry overnight so the royal icing can set. Store cookies in an airtight container.
Nevertheless, Moxon does give a number of recipes for treacle gingerbreads. That quoted below is excellent for making moulded gingerbreads, but you need to leave out the candied peel. It is best to allow the dough to mature overnight before pressing it into the moulds. It is also very good to eat, but needs to be baked very gently.he early nineteenth century it has been customary to give children little gingerbreads at Rushbearing ceremonies in various Cumberland and Westmorland villages.
The eighteenth century Yorkshire cookery writer Elizabeth Moxon also gives a number of gingerbread recipes that are rather archaic for her period. By the second half of the eighteenth century, gingerbreads made with treacle and flour were becoming popular. By the eighteenth century they were replacing the old breadcrumb and almond paste gingerbreads. However, Moxon gives a number of recipes for the more old fashioned kind, while London authors tend to offer only treacle/flour recipes. This would indicate that bread-based gingerbreads lingered longer in the North.
Nevertheless, Moxon does give a number of recipes for treacle gingerbreads. That quoted below is excellent for making molded gingerbreads, but you need to leave out the candied peel. It is best to allow the dough to mature overnight before pressing it into the molds. It is also very good to eat, but needs to be baked very gently. He early nineteenth century it has been customary to give children little gingerbreads at Rush bearing ceremonies in various Cumberland and Westmorland villages.
Thanks for reading, If you tried any of these recipes please let me know in the comments below.
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