valarltd | Yuletide Youtube: Kitchen Witch Corner

Sounds of the Season

Merry Moments, Gingerbread edition:

Kitchen Witchery:

Gingerbread comes in three style: cake, cookie and building material. My mom always did the cake, with whipped cream.

Cake:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan.
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.

The cookie recipe is Mary Todd Lincoln's (we're related via the Custis side) and from 1841.

Cookie

Take a pound and half of flour, and rub it into half a pound of butter, add half a pound of brown sugar and half a pint of molasses, two tablespoons of cream, a teaspoon of pearlash [potassium carbonate], and ginger to the taste. Make it into a stiff paste, and roll it out thin. Put it on buttered tins, and bake in moderate oven.

Notes:
I wrapped my dough and put in the fridge for a couple of hours (you can also leave it overnight)
Instead of the pearlash, you can use ½ tsp baking soda.
Bake the gingerbread men in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes

Decorate to your heart’s content.

Building Material

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup light molasses or dark corn syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda together until the mixture is smooth. Blend in the flour and water to make a stiff dough. Chill at least 30 minutes or until firm.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut out the following paper patterns for the gingerbread house template:

Two rectangles, 3 by 5 inches, to make the front and back of the house. Two rectangles, 3 by 5 1/2 inches for the roof. Two pieces for the ends of the house, 3 inches wide at the base, 3 inches to the roof line, and slanted to a peak 5 1/2 inches from the bottom. Four smaller rectangles, 1 1/2 by 1 inch for the roof and sides of the entryway. And one piece, 2 inches wide at the base, 1 1/2 inches to the roof line, and slanted to a peak 2 1/2 inches from the bottom for the front of the entryway.

Roll gingerbread dough out to edges on a large, rimless cookie sheet. Place paper patterns onto the rolled out dough. With a sharp, straight edged knife, cut around each of the pieces, but leave pieces in place.

Bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes until dough feels firm.

Story Time:
From "Still House"