Gingerbread

Honestly, Grandma’s Gingerbread doesn’t actually taste like ginger. Which is no surprise since there is none in it! The original recipe presents a noteworthyness: Written closely together, it reads „cut warm two eggs“, which brought generations of gingerbreadmakers to insanity. Please don’t cut the eggs, and really do not do it warm. Just read a little more in columns…

The recipe:

Heat 1 lbs (500g) of sugar and 1 lbs (500g) of honey in a pot. Knead 2 lbs (1000g) of flour, 0.5 lbs (250g) of chopped almonds, 4 oz (100g) of candied lemon peel, 1 oz (20g) of ground cardamom, 1 oz (20g) of ground cloves, 0.5 oz (15g) of mace and the sugar-honey-clump. This makes for a cruel dough since it sticks and crumbles at the same time!

Now you add the baking agent – in form of 0.4 oz (10g) of volatile salt and 0.4 oz (10g) of potassium carbonate (potash). Knead the dough again and for the sticky climax add two eggs and a spoonful of lard.

Heat oven to 400°F (200°C) and grease two baking sheets throughly. Then bring the dough onto the baking sheets, which is a lot of work. A good idea is to have a bowl with tepid water at the ready to dunk your hands in from time to time.

Bake the sheets one after another – 15 minutes each. One after another because the gingerbread has to be cut while still warm – tradition wants it in rhombical shape.

As a finishing touch top the warm, cut gingerbread with icing: 9 oz (250g) of powdered sugar are needed per baking sheet. Add very little water to make a viscous fluid. It is a good idea to make a „white“ sheet and a „black“ sheet – by adding 5 oz (125g) of cocoa powder…

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