Russian-style gingerbread

Seems like everyone is making gingerbread this weekend, and who can believe it, it is a week before Christmas already! Completely snuck up on me, yet I’ve managed to overdose on gingerbread already anyway, go figure.

This is a Russian-style honey-based gingerbread, sometimes made into cakey cookies, sometimes into bars. It’s sweet, a little spicy, and plenty warming.

(Adapted from this recipe)

You’ll need:

• 4 cups AP flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup buckwheat raw honey
• 1/3 + 1/4 cup water
• 4.5 T butter
• 2 T baking powder
• 2 T mix of cinnamon/cloves/allspice/nutmeg/cardamom(if you want) + 1 pinch black pepper

Top tips: Do NOT overknead/overmix. Roll out right on the parchment paper because the dough is soft and gets a bit sticky. You can definitely make traditionally shaped gingerbread cookies from this dough too.

1. Preheat oven to 390F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare 1/3 cup hot water. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and hot water, and heat on low heat until dissolved. Add butter, in small pieces, mix until melted and combined. Take off heat.

2. While the butter-sugar mixture is still hot,use a spatula to mix in about 1.5 cups of flour until smooth. Cool.

3. In the meantime, in a small bowl, heat the remaining remaining water and mix with honey. Set aside.

4. In a large mixing bowl, sift together 2.5 cups flour, baking powder and spices. Add honey-water mixture and butter-sugar mixture until just combined, do not overmix.

5. Knead the dough lightly with your hands, it should be soft and pliable. Form into a ball and roll out on floured parchment with a floured rolling pin – it may be easier to split the dough into two gingerbread trays.

6. Brush with cold water and pierce with a toothpick before baking. Bake for about 25 minutes, cool. If you want, glaze with a simple sugar syrup once cooled.