Because The Gingerbread Bakery made me want to bake something
The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore is Dream Harbor at its most festive and if you have read it (or if you are reading it right now and you had to stop for a moment because the bakery descriptions were too much), you will understand why I needed to make gingerbread after.
There is something about a bakery romance set at Christmas that makes the smell of ginger and cinnamon feel like a plot device. Like the universe is trying to tell you something. The something is: you should be baking.
So here is a proper gingerbread men recipe. Crisp edges, soft centre, enough warm spice to make your kitchen smell like the inside of a Christmas book. And royal icing so you can decorate them however you like, including extremely tiny little book spines if you are that kind of person.
I am that kind of person.
What you will need
Makes approximately 20-24 gingerbread men (depending on cutter size).
For the gingerbread:
- 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cubed
- 175g soft dark brown sugar
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3 tbsp golden syrup
For the royal icing:
- 200g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 1/2 tbsp meringue powder (or 2-3 tsp of lemon juice for a simpler version)
- 2-3 tbsp water, added gradually
- Food colouring (optional)
Equipment:
- Gingerbread man cutter (or any festive shape you prefer)
- Electric mixer or a good arm
- Rolling pin and baking paper
- Piping bag or a small zip-lock bag with one corner snipped
How to make them
Step 1: Make the dough
Whisk the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
Beat the butter and brown sugar together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and golden syrup and beat again until combined. The mixture will look a little curdled at this point. That is fine. It will come together.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low until a soft dough forms. It should come away from the sides of the bowl cleanly. If it feels very sticky, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until it is workable.
Step 2: Chill the dough
Divide the dough into two discs, wrap each in baking paper or cling film, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (up to overnight). This step is not negotiable. Cold dough cuts cleanly and holds its shape in the oven. Warm dough gives you gingerbread blobs.
Step 3: Cut and bake
Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
Lightly flour your work surface. Working with one disc at a time (keep the other in the fridge), roll the dough out to about 4-5mm thickness. Cut out your shapes and place them on the prepared trays, leaving about 2cm between each one.
Gather the scraps, re-roll, and cut again. Repeat until the dough is used up.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are just set and the tops look dry. They will still feel soft when you take them out. Do not be alarmed. They firm up as they cool.
Leave on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Step 4: Make the royal icing
Combine the sifted icing sugar, meringue powder and 2 tablespoons of water in a bowl. Beat until thick and glossy. Add water a few drops at a time until you reach a consistency that holds a ribbon when drizzled from a spoon. For piping fine details you want it thicker. For flooding (filling in large areas) you want it slightly thinner.
Divide into small bowls and add food colouring if you are using it.
Step 5: Decorate
This is the part where you decide what kind of baker you are. The relaxed kind who swipes on a bit of icing and calls it done, or the kind who is quietly piping tiny book covers onto biscuits at 11pm.
Both are valid. Both are correct.
Transfer the icing to a piping bag or zip-lock bag with the corner snipped. Pipe outlines first, let them set for a few minutes, then flood the inside if you are doing that. Add details after the base layer has set.
Leave to dry completely, at least 1 hour, before stacking or storing.
Cosy Kitchen Notes
Do not skip the chill. The dough needs that fridge time. If you are making these in a rush, 30 minutes in the freezer will do in a pinch.
Thickness matters. 4-5mm is the sweet spot for gingerbread men that are crisp on the outside and ever so slightly soft in the middle. Thinner than that and they go crunchy all the way through. Thicker and they will need another minute or two in the oven.
Golden syrup vs treacle. The recipe uses golden syrup for a milder, caramel-edged flavour. If you want a deeper, slightly bitter molasses flavour (more traditional UK-style), replace half the golden syrup with treacle.
Storage. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature. Un-iced gingerbread keeps for up to 2 weeks. Iced gingerbread keeps for about 5 days before the icing starts to look a bit sad.
Make ahead. The dough keeps in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.
The meringue powder question. If you cannot find meringue powder (it is in the baking aisle of most supermarkets), you can use lemon juice as the acidic component. The icing will set firm enough for piping but will not have quite the same snap as the meringue powder version.
Bookish decorating idea. Pipe tiny little book spines on a few of them. White base with a thin coloured stripe and the tiniest suggestion of a title. If you share a photo of these please tag me because I need to see it immediately.
The Last Bite
Gingerbread men are one of those recipes that sound impressive but are genuinely forgiving once you have the dough right. The spices do the heavy lifting. The golden syrup gives that depth of flavour. The chill time handles the rest.
And if you are making these while reading The Gingerbread Bakery, or re-reading it, or listening to it with the heating on and the fairy lights doing what fairy lights do in winter, then honestly you have figured out exactly how a cold July evening should go.
These keep well, they travel well, they make a gift if you decide to be generous, and they taste best slightly warm from the oven before you have even thought about the icing.
That is the real test of a gingerbread recipe. And this one passes.
Pair with the mulled wine recipe also on the blog this week. Because the gingerbread and mulled wine combination is Dream Harbor in a kitchen.
Read the full Gingerbread Bakery review on the blog.
