Gingerbread - the best dessert for tea

At all times in Russia gingerbread enjoyed a special love and respect. They were prepared for the celebrations, gave as gifts as a sign of love and respect. Today cakes are not as popular as 100 years ago, and, meanwhile, their preparation - it is quite simple. But how can such a wonderful surprise everyone dessert!

The first gingerbread our ancestors began in the 9th century stove from rye flour with berry juice and honey. However, it is known that such delicacies loved to indulge in the ancient Romans and Egyptians - the first time spiced honey cakes were mentioned in written sources in 350 BC! And in this era of the oven cakes were the first to Belgians in Dinan - Today their recipes are transformed into Christmas gingerbread "Lebkuhen" which is baked in Germany. In Russia, the technology of preparation of this delicacy has become a little bit different. Originally gingerbread baked with lots of honey - up to 50% of the total weight of all ingredients, and called them "honey bread". Only from 12-13 century, when commercially Indian and oriental spices that were added throughout these articles, they became known as the "carrot". Most often, in Russia preparing gingerbread crust with bitter orange, lemon, vanilla, mint, nutmeg, cumin, anise, ginger and even black pepper and Italian dill!

Gingerbread very fond of our ancestors - they were baked for the holidays, gave each other as a sign of love and respect, and on special occasions make them very beautiful, unusual shape, with a variety of drawings and inscriptions. Became famous as the "gingerbread capitals" Tula, Vologda, Tver, Moscow and Arkhangelsk, and Tula gingerbread at the hearing in our country today - where the art of cooking transmitted from generation to generation for centuries in a row.

Today, gingerbread is hardly the most popular dessert, and the reason for this trend is that the store cakes are no longer similar to those that ate in Russia until the 20th century, and the home cook is solved not every hostess. Once having prepared cakes at home, what to do is not as difficult as it may seem at first glance, this delicacy you will definitely see a new way.

Dough for gingerbread, it should be noted that - the easiest to prepare dough, which, moreover, very quickly baked.

Making dough for gingerbread

Make the dough for gingerbread in two ways: raw custard or (easier). And it is divided into 3 types: honey, sugar (without honey) and honey and sugar. Depending on which method to prepare the dough, you need different amounts of ingredients. We give examples for raw dough that is prepared quickly and easily, but be aware that these cakes dry out faster than choux dough.

How to cook the dough for gingerbread

You will need:

• for honey dough - 3 cups flour, 3/4 cup honey, 100 grams of butter, 1 egg,? tsp soda or 50-150 g sour cream? tsp crushed spices? glass of water, yogurt, yogurt or sour milk;

• for sugar dough - 3 cups of flour, 1.5 cups of sugar, 100 grams of butter? tsp soda, 1 tsp crushed spices? glass of water, yogurt, sour milk or yogurt;

• for honey-sugar dough - 3 cups flour, 1 cup sugar? cup of honey, 100 grams of butter, 1 egg,? tsp soda / cream 50-150 g? tsp crushed spices? tsp water kefir, yogurt or sour milk.

How to cook the dough for gingerbread. In a saucepan, place the honey, add the softened butter, eggs, add spices, stirring every 1-2 minutes, add the flour (mixed with soda and sifted), knead the dough too. In this case, the test you will turn fragrant honey cakes that we all love so much.

If you make sugar cakes, you must first bring to a boil in a saucepan with sugar water, remove the foam, put the oil, stir and let the syrup cool to room temperature. Too thin syrup Uvarov need so that it dripping from a spoon "thick thread." Further, in cold syrup added spices, eggs, and then mixed with soda sifted flour.

In the preparation of gingerbread has its tricks:

• If you do honey dough, do not use chemical leavening agents (baking soda, etc.), if you add the dough after it has cooled thick cream fat content of not less than 20% in relation to 1 kg flour 100-300 g sour cream (depending on the consistency of the dough) , the baking powder does not need: honey and sour cream will ferment and will present a special gingerbread consistency;
• For any gingerbread will be good to add 4 tablespoons brandy, vodka or rum (1 kg flour) - it will give an additional loosening;
• If you add baking soda in honey dough, sour cream and honey fermentation will not start;
• Knead gingerbread need 10 to 40 minutes before it is completely homogeneous - depends on the softness and fluffiness of gingerbread;
• Better use fruit sugar - fructose and sucrose are not;
• Do not knead the dough too - it is bad rises, and cakes will be tough and ugly, too much soft dough will not work - will not hold the shape, the optimal dough is too sticky to the hands and the table, plastic and lends itself well to molding.

Making the dough, you need to immediately start forming Gingerbread: The finished dough is rolled out and out using molds cut various figures. Weight finished gingerbread typically 20-40 Spread of their need for a greased sheet, if the dough is soft and dry leaf, if the dough turned out cool. Before baking gingerbread coated with egg yolks. Bake delicate gingerbread need 8-15 minutes in a preheated 220-240 degree oven, and after baking they should immediately wipe with a soft cloth or brush. Usually ready glazed carrots (for glaze to whip egg whites with sugar or honey caramel boil down to, mixed with a small amount of juice of sour fruits or berries).

These are the traditional rules for the preparation of gingerbread. Following these instructions, you can cook these cakes that will surprise you with its amazing taste and aroma.

Very popular today gingerbread and chocolate cakes. Consider the recipes of cooking.

Gingerbread recipe

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Need: 550 g flour, 170 g of honey, 150 g of sugar powder, 130 g butter, 100 g of sugar, 1 egg white, the egg 1, 2 tsp soda and ground ginger, 1.5 tsp ground allspice, ground cinnamon and cloves.

How to make gingerbread. In a saucepan add sugar, spices, add the honey, bring to a boil, remove from heat, add the baking soda and mix well. Add in egg weight foamed, melted butter and sifted flour, knead the dough. On floured work surface roll out the dough seam 0.5 cm thick, cut with the help of gingerbread molds. Gingerbread put on the laid parchment baking sheet, bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated 180 degree oven. Get cakes and give them cool slightly, protein shake up in a thick foam, add powdered sugar and beat for another 5 minutes before elasticity shift in confectionery syringe icing to decorate cakes, give it to dry for 20-30 minutes.

Recipe chocolate gingerbread

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You will need: 200 g sour cream, 100 grams of butter, 2 eggs, 2 cups flour? cup sugar, 4 tablespoons cocoa and water, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tsp baking powder 1 pinch of salt, cinnamon.

How to cook chocolate cakes. Put honey and butter in a saucepan, melt, remove from heat, add 2 tablespoons flour, stir quickly. In a separate bowl beat the eggs with sour cream, sugar, cocoa, salt and cinnamon (you can also add vanilla), pour the honey mixture, mix well, add the sifted flour with baking powder, knead slightly sticky dough. Baking sheet greased with butter, powdered with flour from the dough to tear small pieces, molded cakes and put them on the list if it is strongly sticky, grease it with oil. Bake chocolate cakes in a preheated 200 degree oven for about 15 minutes. For the glaze mix water with sugar and cocoa, boil for 5 minutes over low heat, this smear frosting gingerbread ready.

Preparation of delicious gingerbreads - this is a very creative process, depending on what you add spice and flavor of gingerbread can vary greatly, that's why the recipes in families Pryanichnikov handed down from generation to generation. Once cook delicious homemade cakes, you'll love them forever!