[Sca-cooks] OOP Gingerbread

Susan Fox selene at earthlink.net
Tue Nov 6 15:59:02 PST 2007


Obviously a browning agent.  Molasses is a better golden brown and much 
tastier.  Honey is nice too, if usually less vividly coloured. 

Here is the recipe I use for almost all "modern" gingerbread purposes.  
My picky picky brother even likes it.

SPICEBREAD

1/4 cup soft shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 cup coffee

Mix together.  Then sift in separate bowl:
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Add to liquid ingredients.  Spread in pan, after adding nuts, raising, 
crystallized fruit or anything else desired, bake till tender and cut 
into bars.  Or add extra flour as desired, roll out, cut into shapes and 
bake. 

Basic Baking Time is 1/2 hour at 350oF.  Adjust for thickness of the 
loaf/biscuits/bars.

Variations:
Instead of coffee:  Sanka, cocoa, other brewed liquids?

Additional spices:  coriander, pepper, galingale, anise, whatever.

Shortenings:  Crisco is good, regular vegetable oil gives a nice soft 
product but nut oils taste better [strongly flavored oils like olive or 
sesame would be odd], margarine will work as would lard [but you have to 
really like lard].

Fresh chopped apples and pears are good in this.  Absolutely any nuts 
and dried or candied fruits are appropriate, and a lot of these make for 
a great Xmas-fruitcake. For a plum pudding steam the batter in a bowl or 
mold for a couple of hours, then flame with brandy.

[Adapted from a recipe in THE DARKOVER COOKBOOK, 1979 ed.  Uncredited so 
my best guess it's MZB herself.]


silverr0se at aol.com wrote:
> I have a baking question - I have recently come across 2 separate gingerbread recipes that have unsweetened cocoa as one of the ingredients. 
>
> Now, I have been out of the dessert world since the last millenium so can anyone tell me if this is a common ingredient? Does anyone have a good non-cocoa recipe? 
>
> Renata
>   




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