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Susan Jung

When I was training to be a pastry chef at hotels in San Francisco and New York, the winter holiday season started very early for us. Our first task was to mix batch after  batch of gingerbread. Most of it was baked into large, flat sheets that we cut from to assemble elaborate gingerbread houses. These  were 'glued' together with royal icing and decorated with gelatine leaves (for the windows), silver dragees, gumdrops and candy canes. After making one enormous gingerbread house to be displayed in the hotel lobby, we'd make smaller  ones  for  VIP guests and gingerbread men and women to serve on the Christmas buffet. Making gingerbread at home is a fun project that children may enjoy. 
 Gingerbread people (pictured)
 This recipe is based on one in  Rose's Christmas Cookies by  Rose Levy Beranbaum. The dough can also be used to make gingerbread houses and other shapes. 
 For the gingerbread dough:
 170 grams unsalted butter
 150 grams dark brown sugar
 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
 1 tsp baking soda
 2 tsp ground ginger
 1 tsp ground cinnamon
 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
 1/4 tsp ground cloves
 1 large egg
 160 grams molasses
 425 grams plain (all-purpose) flour,  plus extra for the work surface
 For the royal icing:
 90 grams egg white 
 460 grams icing sugar
 Make the gingerbread dough at least two hours before rolling it. Beat the butter with the sugar until it's light and fluffy. Add the salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves and beat well to combine. Turn the mixer speed to low, add the egg and mix until combined, then stir in the molasses. Scrape the bowl and beaters with a rubber spatula. Add all the flour at once then stir  to combine. Divide the dough into two parts, shape them into flat discs and wrap well in cling-film. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. On a well-floured work surface, roll out the dough so it's about 3mm thick.  Cut out the shapes using gingerbread men and women cookie cutters. The dough is very soft  so the shapes can be difficult to move once they have been cut out.  Carefully transfer them  to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake at 180 degrees until the cookies are fragrant and firm to the touch. Allow to cool before icing them.
To make the royal icing, put the egg  white and icing sugar in a clean, dry bowl. Use clean, dry beaters to stir on low speed until the sugar is moistened. Turn the mixer speed to medium and beat until the ingredients are thick and glossy: when you touch the mixture it should form a peak that curves slightly. If  you're not planning to use  the icing immediately, scrape it into a small bowl and put  a damp paper towel directly on the surface;  if it softens, re-beat it before using. Put the icing into a  paper cornet (or a  piping bag fitted with a 2mm plain tip) and pipe decorations on the gingerbread people. Leave until the icing is hard. If not serving  immediately, pack the gingerbread into airtight containers. 
 Gingerbread cake
 This  recipe is adapted from  one in M.F.K. Fisher's  How to Cook a Wolf. 
 60 grams butter, slightly softened
 50 grams soft brown sugar
 1 tsp ground cinnamon
 1 tbsp ground ginger
 1/4 tsp ground cloves
 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
 1 tsp baking powder
 1 large egg, at room temperature
 170 grams molasses
 3/4 tsp baking soda, divided
 180ml boiling water
 160 grams plain (all-purpose) flour,  plus extra for the baking tin
 Preheat the oven to 170 degrees. Spray a   1.5-litre loaf tin with pan coating (or butter  it lightly, sprinkle flour in it and shake to distribute it evenly, then tap out the excess flour).  Put the molasses into a bowl or cup, sieve  half a teaspoon of baking soda over  the top and stir it in. 
Beat the butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and baking powder and beat until thoroughly combined. With the mixer speed on low, stir in the molasses/baking soda then mix in the egg until just combined. 
Stir  quarter of a teaspoon of baking soda into the boiling water. Add one-third of the flour into the butter/spice mixture and stir  at low speed until almost fully incorporated. Stir in half the water/baking soda then scrape  the bowl and beaters to make sure the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Mix in half the remaining flour then add  the remaining water/baking soda. Scrape the bowl and beaters with  a spatula again. Stir in the last  of the flour, scrape the bowl and beaters once more, then pour the mixture into the pan. Bake at 170 degrees for about 45 minutes or until done. The cake is ready when  it's fragrant and starting to pull away from the sides of the pan; when you touch the top of the cake with your fingertip, it  shouldn't leave an indentation. Cool it in the pan for about 30 minutes then carefully turn it out  and leave it upright on a cooling rack.
Styling Corner Kitchen Cooking School



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