Gingerbread Baking

Some of the Living Better With Less group have decided to make gingerbread baking our Christmas activity this year and we met in my kitchen last Sunday for a baking session.

My friend in America who has some significant notches on the proverbial baking belt kindly shared her recipe with me. She has been making it since the 6th grade do you mind. And she allowing me to share the good stuff with you too.

I pondered making a gingerbread house a la my own house profile and thought it not interesting enough then pondered the profile of my birdhouse

But to be honest I couldn't be bothered doing the math for the components.

In the end I took the easy option and used Cindy's house cut outs.

The recipe makes ample mixture and after cutting out my house pieces I found myself rolling and rolling and cutting and pressing....

Dozens of hanging ornaments.

You can leave them plain or ice them and thread with some ribbon.

I couldn't find my icing set so made do with a snipped freezer bag.

They went like hot cakes at the market!

Gingerbread Recipe

1 cup of butter

1 cup of brown sugar 

1 cup of  molasses

7 cups of flour

2 teas baking soda

2 teas ground cinnamon

2 teas ground ginger

1 teas salt

1/2 teas ground cloves

2/3 cup water

Cream butter and sugar with a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Add molasses and beat well. With mixer on low add 3 cups of flour and the rest of the ingredients except the water.

Still on low add the remaining 4 cups of flour and mix until crumbly and homogeneous. Slowly add the water until the mixture comes together and starts to form a ball.

Roll dough out on parchment paper. Cut pieces out and remove the scraps. Transfer the paper with pieces to a cool baking sheet. Bake in a moderate oven for about 10 mins.