Decorated with icing, sugar balls or currants, gingerbread men have been a traditional tea-time treat or snack for centuries. The shape of the crisp gingerbread can be wholly decided by the chef, leaving scope for playing with the dough to create whatever shapes take the fancy.
The beauty of gingerbread is its ability to be cut and decorated in a myriad different shapes and sizes. Visitors to Prague or suchlike for the Christmas market will see gingerbread being fashioned into incredibly elaborate shapes, with the icing creating representations of houses, angels or any other shape for festive fun and decoration.
Unlike this recipe, European gingerbread is a light and fluffy confection which lacks the crispness of traditional English gingerbread. The following recipe is ideal for making the gingerbread men and women who make this teatime treat a favourite with children and adults alike.
Ingredients for the Gingerbread:
- 12oz Plain Flour
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- 2.5 teaspoons of ground Ginger
- 4oz chilled unsalted butter
- 6oz Light brown soft sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 tablespoons of Golden Syrup.
How to Make the Gingerbread Men:
- Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees C
- Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger together in a large mixing bowl
- Chop the butter into small pieces, and rub into the dry mixture until it resembles the consistency of fine breadcrumbs, then add the sugar and mix together
- Mix the beaten egg and golden syrup together, and add to the mixture, mixing together to form a dough
- Roll out the dough on to a floured surface to about 3mm thick, then cut out the shapes which are wanted for the gingerbread. Put onto a lightly greased or lined baking sheet, decorate and cook for approximately 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the biscuit.
- When they are cooked, leave on the baking sheet for a few minutes, and then transfer to a cooling rack, and leave to cool completely.
Once the gingerbread is completely cooled, decorate with icing (mix icing sugar with a very small amount of water and place in a piping bag) sugared decorations or dip in chocolate.
Gingerbread makes a superb gift, particularly for the Christmas or Easter period. Personalise the biscuits by icing them with friends’ names, or build creations by fashioning the dough into shapes such as:
- Men or women, making a family portrait through the biscuits to resemble the recipient
- Houses, decorated for festive times
- Dogs or cats depending on the pets the recipient owns
- Icing for congratulations, sympathy, or wedding messages
- Birthday shapes such as presents, candles or the age of the person being baked for.
Gingerbread is the most versatile and fun way to create a personalised and thoughtful gift that will make a superb impression on the person who is being baked for. Have fun, use the imagination and see what delights can be created!
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