Elizabethan / Medieaval Gingerbread

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Elizabethan / Medieaval Gingerbread
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chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 10 3:46 pm Post subject: Elizabethan / Medieaval Gingerbread

Leo has been wanting to make gingerbread for ages and today we finally found time. I looked at Gil's recipe in the database and realised I hadn't got either caster sugar OR treacle ... so I went googling and eventually came up with a HFW recipe from the Channel 4 website.

I didn't realise that gingerbread was originally just that - bread, with ginger and honey. I used the half-breadcrumbs half-flour option and they have come out beautifully, really hard and chewy and nicely gingery. This was a trial run and we are going to do some more over the weekend and decorate them for the tree - I will attempt to take some photos of the finished products and add them at that point.

Makes roughly 20 tree biscuits

Ingredients

* 450g runny honey
* 450g fine, dry breadcrumbs (brown or white) OR 225g breadcrumbs mixed with 225g plain flour
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp ground ginger
* ½ tsp ground white pepper
* cloves, nuts, apples slices, rosehips or whatever else you fancy for decorating
* string or ribbon for hanging

Method: How to make medieval gingerbread

1. Put the honey in a large saucepan and place over a medium heat. Heat gently until the honey just begins to bubble. Take off the heat, stir in the spices, then add the breadcrumbs and mix to a dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, form into a neat disc, wrap and chill for an hour.

2. Preheat the oven to 220°c/Gas Mark 7 and grease or line a couple of baking sheets.

3. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of about 5mm. Stamp out biscuits using cutters of your choice, and transfer to the baking trays. Use a skewer to make a hole in each biscuit for threading through your string or ribbon, then decorate the biscuits in whichever way you choose.

4. Bake the biscuits for about 10 minutes in the hot oven, or until dry and firm. Transfer to a rack to cool, then thread with string or ribbon and hang on your tree.

Original link here

sally_in_wales
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 06 Mar 2005
Posts: 20809
Location: sunny wales

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 10 3:49 pm Post subject:
We do it without flour or ginger, just heat up spices in honey (saffron, pepper, cinnamon, grains of paradise usually) then stir in breadcrumbs until it pulls away from the side of the pan. Press into a lined tray and let set. Goes all squidgy and toffeed, very yummy. I like the sound of your version too though

bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 10 3:49 pm Post subject:
There was an interesting article on the Guardian food blog about gingerbread today aswell https://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/dec/16/how-to-make-perfect-gingerbread

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 10 3:53 pm Post subject:
It didn't occur to me that they might be hard enough to hang on the tree - but it looks like they will be, which is a BIG bonus, as I was planning on faffing round with cornflour-dough decorations if I had enough time. I am quite startling myself with my excess of Christmas spirit

earthyvirgo

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 7972
Location: creating prints in the loft, Gerlan

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 10 3:56 pm Post subject:
Sounds like they might be a bit like Grasmere Gingerbread Chez? That's a secret recipe (in a bank vault somehwere) which I would love to get my paws on. EV

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 10 4:28 pm Post subject:
I've made gingerbread with wine and breadcrumbs before I think it was from a reference in Dorothy Hartley, (wanders off to book) That's interesting - it was actually from Elizabeth David's English Bread & Yeast Cookery and it's Manchet Gingerbread "Otherwise called a dry leach" It was interesting, but odd to the modern palette.

Katieowl

Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Posts: 4317
Location: West Wales

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 10 7:06 pm Post subject:

earthyvirgo wrote:

Sounds like they might be a bit like Grasmere Gingerbread Chez?

That's a secret recipe (in a bank vault somehwere) which I would love to get my paws on.

EV

You've been reading this months Country Living haven't you?

Kate

Mrs R

Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 10 7:09 pm Post subject:
sounds brill, might have a go!!

earthyvirgo

Joined: 24 Aug 2007
Posts: 7972
Location: creating prints in the loft, Gerlan

Posted: Fri Dec 17, 10 7:10 pm Post subject:

Katieowl wrote:

earthyvirgo wrote:

Sounds like they might be a bit like Grasmere Gingerbread Chez?

That's a secret recipe (in a bank vault somehwere) which I would love to get my paws on.

EV

You've been reading this months Country Living haven't you?

Kate

Sussed

Mrs R

Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 10 2:36 pm Post subject:
The mix is chilling didn't quite have enough honey so topped up with treacle - it's got quite a kick to it! I think perhaps an almond version, maybe with cherries? might work?

Mrs R

Joined: 15 Aug 2008
Posts: 7202

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 10 4:23 pm Post subject:
mmm! bready!

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 10 4:59 pm Post subject:
What a wonderful taste sensation to come in from the cold to (the hot stove helps, too )

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 10 5:59 pm Post subject:
We are just making a second batch. I've briefly left Arvo, Jo S and the children in the kitchen. It's hell in there.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 10 6:05 pm Post subject:
That Jo S and Arvo...

chez

Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 35935
Location: The Hive of the Uberbee, Quantock Hills, Somerset

Posted: Sat Dec 18, 10 6:16 pm Post subject:
I've got some photos I'll put up later, if I can get my phone to talk to the computer ... . Everyone is covered in flour. All the surfaces are covered with a thin film of honey and ginger. And Snipe is eating the spilled flour off the floor ... . A great afternoon

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