Somebody out there might need this. So here goes a dope one, an authentic one - not that grocery store cookie crap.
Tinkered to perfection by me. With a hint of nostalgia.
- 600 gr dark brown cane sugar
- 400 ml Canadian maple syrup
- 250 ml boiling water
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 4 tsp lemon concentrate
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 900 gr flour
Spice mix
- 4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground clove
- 2 tsp ground bitter orange peel
- 2 tsp all spice/pimento
- 3 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 2 tsp ground coriander
For starters mix all your spices together. And make sure you do get ground ones, because grinding some of these guys is a nightmare (I learned that the hard way naturally).
Then take large thick pot and heat it up. Pour all your sugar in there, but avoid stirring, that might make sugar lumpy. Keep an eye on it, sugar has tendency to burn really quickly and that would make ginger bread bitter.
When the sugar starts melting add boiling water (I'd recommend taking it off heat for a moment). Super carefully, boiling sugar reaches mad temperatures, stir with a long wooden spoon of some sort.
Add maple syrup and spice mix. Simmer for a good few minutes for spices to get the heat. All that should look like black lava and smell heavenly of course.
Hard part is now over, relax, congratulate yourself for not burning yourself and/or sugar. Take the pot
off the heat. Let it cool down completely. Meanwhiles mix together flour, soda and salt; have a glass of mulled wine, chill.
When sugar syrup has calmed down add sour cream, eggs and lemon concentrate. Mix everything together. Now it is time to add flour mixture to the syrup. Don't drop everything at once, nice and steady. If there is a kitchen aid mixer near by good! If not, use yer muscle - eventually you have to go in there with hands anyways. Put on some funny animal videos and work the dough, really give it some muscle. It should eventually be smooth, non sticky and super elastic. If it crumbles or doesn't stretch properly, you haven't worked it enough.
When that splendid christmassy loaf has reached desirable texture wrap it in cling film and shove it in the fridge. For the next 2-3 weeks. I mean some would say over night is fine, but I tend to get real anal about my spices, so the more the merrier.
All that should give roughly 3 kilos of dough and ginger bread cookies up until April.
I made a test run and premiere for Christmas today and these boys were lit. After sitting in fridge about 10 days they were almost as good as it gets.
You're welcome!
...not a Grinch this year innit
