Ripened gingerbreads are a Christmas bakewhich you have to wait a bit for. Their dough is prepared in advanceeven a few weeks in advance, so that it matures quietly in a cool place and acquires a deep, spicy aroma. Thanks to this, they become better over time soft, fragrant and perfect for decorating. This is also sweets great Christmas gift – just pack them in a metal can or cellophane. So if you dream of delicious and beautifully scented homemade gingerbread for the holidays, you must try it start preparing them now.
Ingredients:
Cake:
- 500 g of wheat flour,
- 250 g of liquid honey,
- 100 g of powdered sugar,
- 125 g of butter,
- egg in size L or XL,
- 2 tablespoons of gingerbread spice,
- a teaspoon of baking soda,
- a spoonful of cocoa powder.
Frosting:
- 150 g of powdered sugar,
- egg white in size S,
- 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice.
How to do it:
1. Prepare the dough. Start preparing 2-4 weeks before you plan to bake, at least a month before the holidays.
2. Place honey, powdered sugar and butter in a pot. Heat over low heat, stirring, until the butter and sugar dissolve, but do not bring to a boil. Cool. Sift flour, baking soda, gingerbread spice and cocoa into a large bowl. Mix. Add the egg to the cooled honey mass and mix. Then pour the mixture into the dry ingredients. Knead the dough until it is uniform and smooth. It will be quite sticky but will harden over time.
3. Wrap the dough tightly in foil and put it in a cool place – in the fridge or pantry – for at least 2 weeks, and preferably for 3-4 weeks.
4. After this time, remove the dough from the refrigerator for about an hour and then divide it into smaller pieces. Lightly sprinkle the pastry board with flour. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 3-4 mm. Cut out gingerbread cookies with cookie cutters and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, leaving spaces apart.
5. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Bake the gingerbread cookies for 8-12 minutesdepending on the thickness of the cookies. When ready, they must be slightly browned on the edges. Remove and set aside for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
6. Prepare the icing. Sift the powdered sugar into a bowl. Gradually add the egg white, mixing with a mixer at low speed until a thick and plastic mass is formed. Add lemon juice.
7. Transfer the icing to a pastry bag with a very fine tip or to a small bag with the corner cut off. Decorate gingerbread cookies in any way you like.
8. Store ripening gingerbread in a tightly closed metal can, preferably with a quarter of an apple or a piece of orange peel. Replace them every 1-2 days to avoid mold. The cookies will be ready after 2-3 weeks.
Source: Terazgotuje.pl
