Description
Discover how to make this historical Gingerbread with whole wheat flour, rye flour, candied citrus peel, and a variety of warm spices.
Ingredients
- 7 ounces honey
- 1 cup sugar
- 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 pound butter (1 stick)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground anise
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of grated nutmeg
- Pinch of ground clove
- Grated peel of 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups rye flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 1/2 ounces candied citrus peel or ginger (I used homemade candied orange peel)
- 1 tablespoon shredded almonds, optional
Instructions
Melt the honey, sugar, milk, and butter together over low heat.
Add the ground spices and grated lemon peel.
Add this mixture to the rye and wheat flour blended with the yeast. Mix thoroughly to obtain a homogeneous dough.
Blend in the citrus peel.
Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F. Butter a loaf pan and sprinkle the bottom with shredded almonds. Since I had a good bit of dough to work with, I decided to bake the Gingerbread in my Pullman pan.
Fill the pan with the dough and bake it for about 40 minutes. A knife blade inserted into the loaf should come out dry.
Cool to a lukewarm temperature and unmold on a rack.
Notes
Adapted from: The History of Bread by Bernard Dupaigne
For best results, allow the gingerbread to rest for 48 hours before serving or eating.
- Category: Sweet Bread
- Method: Yeast