Gingerbread Recipes

Crunchy Gingerbread Men

350g or 12oz plain flour
5ml or a level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
10ml or 2 level teaspoons of ground ginger
100g or 4ozs of butter (or block margarine)
175g or 6ozs of demerara sugar (and some to decorate)
60 ml or 4 level tablespoons of golden syrup
1 egg beaten

Grease 3 baking sheets. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a bowl. Rub in until mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in sugar. Beat syrup into egg and stir into bowl. Mix to a dough, knead until smooth. Divide into two. Roll out on floured surface to about 0.5cm (1/4 inch) thickness. Stamp out fingers and place on baking sheets. Decorate with currants if desired. Sprinkle with demarara sugar. Bake at Gas Mark 5, 375°F or 190°C for12- 15 minutes.

Makes 12

Sadie's Ginger Cake

3oz butter
3oz lard (you could use more butter if preferred)
4oz syrup
4oz black treacle
8oz demerara sugar
10oz S.R. flour
3 level teaspoons ginger
2 eggs
5 fluid ounces milk

Melt fats, sugar, & syrup and stir in flour & ginger.

Add beaten eggs & milk .

Bake (in a 2lb loaf tin) for one to one hour, 15 minutes at Gas 2-3, 320°F or 160°C.

Grantham Gingerbread

8oz plain flour
8ozs caster sugar
½ teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
4oz butter
1 egg

Thoroughly mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and ginger. Melt the butter (but do not let it become oily), add the egg, and, after beating well add the flour mixture.

Mix all well by hand, then flour the hands and roll pieces of the mixture into small balls. Place thses well apart on a floured baking trayand press each ball once on top.

Bake in a very moderate oven, at Gas 3-4, 350°F or 180°, for 30 minutes, taking care that the biscuits do not brown. They should spread out whilst cooking, but will not do if the mixture is too stiff; if necessary a little milk can be added when mixing.

After baking leave the biscuits on the tray to cool.

Grasmere Gingerbread

The original recipe is a secret, but here is one of the same type which will give an idea of this Lakeland Speciality.

8oz plain flour
½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
1 bare dessertspoonful ground ginger
4oz butter or margarine
1 tablespoon golden syrup
4 ozs soft brown sugar
2 ozs candied lemon peel, finely chopped.

Sieve flour, soda, salt and ginger. Beat butter and syrup until soft and creamy, then gradually stir in the dry ingredients and peel. The mixture will be dry and crumbly, but no liquid must be added.

Press into a well-greased square tin ½ deep. Bake in a slow oven at Gas 2, 325°F or 170°C, for 30-40 minutes. The gingerbread should be only very lightly coloured. Cut into squares while still warm, but do not remove from the tin until quite cold.

Thar or Thor Cakes

8 oz fine oatmeal
8 oz plain flour
8 ozs soft brown sugar
1 oz candied peel
4oz butter
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon coriander seeds
½ teaspoon salt
8 oz warmed black treacle

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl, rub in the butter and add treacle. Knead together and roll out thinly on a floured surface. Cut into large rounds, place on a baking tray and bake in an oven at Gas 4, 350°F or 180°, for 20 minutes until golden.

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