When you think of gingerbread, you probably think of the cookies shaped like little men with gumdrop buttons or a house assembled with royal icing. Over its storied history, gingerbread became an important social symbol for many reasons, not the least of which is its ability to be baked into fun shapes, like animals, stars, hearts, or even patron saints. It was even given as a good luck charm to knights as they went into battle, and it's said that Queen Elizabeth I gifted it to foreign officials during their visits.
But gingerbread wasn't originally a cookie, it was an actual bread (hence the name). Some prefer to call this "ginger cake" to distinguish it from the hard cookies, and in some places it's made as a denser bread so it can be later soaked in wine. Although the cookie usually steals the spotlight, the soft version is still baked in many countries near the holidays and is full of all the warm, lovely winter flavors.
Toppings
- Get Traditional: If you're looking for some old school flavor, you can replace the honey 1:1 with molasses. My husband likes the molasses flavor even better!
- Make it Sweet(er): Many people like to add a sweet glaze, and in some places soft gingerbread is even combined with chocolate. If you're looking to make this more of a dessert than a quick bread, drizzle a quick powdered sugar glaze on top (mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 2-3T of milk until desired consistency), or add ½ cup dark chocolate chips into the mix as your last ingredient.
Storage
Just wrap this bread in plastic wrap and store on the counter or in the fridge for up to a week. You can also wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for later. Just let it thaw on the counter for a few hours before you need it.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Grace Says:
The honey encourages this bread to stick to the pan, so be generous with your greasing or line your pan with parchment paper.
📖 Recipe
Honey Gingerbread with Candied Orange Peel
Ingredients
Honey Gingerbread
- ½ cup hot water
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup honey can substitute molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ t salt
- ½ t baking powder
- ½ t baking soda
- 1 t ginger
- 1 t cinnamon
- ¼ t nutmeg
- 1-2 T orange simple syrup from peels (optional)
Candied Orange Peels
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 orange, peeled
Instructions
Candied Orange Peels
- Cut the orange peels into strips.
- Over low-medium heat, add the sugar and water into a pot. Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, then add the orange peels. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow to cook for 10-12 minutes. Do not stir. Look for the pith of the orange peels to look translucent, and they may be slightly green.
- Remove from the heat and set aside until the pot cools completely, up to 1 hour. After the peels are completely cool, use a fork or tongs to transfer the peels to a cooling rack. Allow to harden for several hours or overnight before incorporating into your gingerbread.
Honey Gingerbread
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease or line a 8x8 square pan with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients together (flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, spices).
- In a separate bowl, add the butter and hot water together. Stir and ensure the butter is totally melted, and then add in the sugar, molasses, egg, and orange simple syrup from your peels. Mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix all together. Add the candied orange peels last and stir to incorporate.
- Pour the mixture into your pan and smooth out. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when poked into the center. Cool in the pan, then slice and serve.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!