Gingerbread - mix and bake
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Serves: approximately 44 biscuits
 

... and I also used them to create buttons on my gingerbread men



This dough will make:

* 44 small festive trees using an 8cm high cutter; or
* 44 small gingerbread men using an 8cm high cutter.

There will also be some leftover little scrapes that I usually cut into small pieces then roll into a ball, place onto the baking tray then press a fork prong into the top ... I love these and use them as my special "baker's treats" ... but in our house it is first in, first served and sometimes I miss out!!

Dough can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to 5 days before rolling and baking.

If you wish to use your Thermomix simply:

1. Place ingredients into TM bowl and mix 12 seconds / speed 6
2. Stir mix around, then knead for 1 minute
3. Then follow the recipe from Step 4 in the "Method"
Ingredients
INGREDIENTS - DRY
  • 400g white spelt flour, or plain flour
  • 1 ½ tbls ground ginger
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp sea salt flakes, or ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp bi carb soda
INGREDIENTS - WET
  • 150g butter, very soft
  • 150g golden syrup
  • 100g light muscovado sugar, or brown sugar
  • 1 x 60g egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Place dry ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and whisk together to combine
  2. Then in a smaller mixing bowl, and using the same whisk, mix together the wet ingredients until well combined
  3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix until dough comes together, then turn out onto your bench and gently knead for 30 seconds to combine fully
  4. Shape dough into an oblong and divide in half, wrap each half in Glad Wrap and place into the fridge to rest for 60 minutes (dough can stay in fridge for up to 5 days before rolling and baking)
  5. Preheat oven to 160 degrees, fan forced, and line two baking trays with baking paper
  6. Working with half a dough at a time, roll the dough to 4mm thickness between two pieces of baking paper (TIP: If you have a silicon mat, use it to place the bottom piece of baking paper on to as that will stop it from sliding around on your bench top)
  7. As you roll over the baking paper with the dough inside, periodically lift the top piece of baking paper and lightly rub a very little flour onto it to stop the dough sticking ... then turn the two pieces over - with the dough inside - and repeat this process so that you are actually lightly flouring both pieces of the baking paper ... this will help you roll the dough out evenly, and will prevent sticking without using too much flour
  8. When you have the required thickness of dough, remove the top piece of baking paper and cut dough into desired shapes (TIP: dip your shape into a small bowl of flour first, then straight into the dough to ensure you get a nice sharp shape … don’t worry if some flour sticks to the dough as it can be brushed off easily once the dough is baked)
  9. Use a palette knife if you have one, or a thin spatula, to help lift the shapes off the baking paper and onto the baking trays leaving 3cm space between each shape
  10. Reroll dough to make more shapes, continuing until the dough is used up (TIP: to minimise handling, simply pile the scrapes on top of each other and press onto them to make a disk shape, then cover with the top piece of baking paper and roll, following the same process as before with very lightly flouring the paper as needed)
  11. Place tray into oven and bake for 10 minutes, turn tray around and continue for another 2 to 4 minutes until the biscuits are lightly coloured around the edges (TIP: the longer you bake the firmer the biscuits will be so if you like them softer bake for the lesser time of 2 minutes, or firmer bake for the longer time of 4 minutes)
  12. Remove trays from oven and allow gingerbread to cool for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling tray to cool completely
  13. Decorate as desired
  14. Store in an airtight container for at least two weeks
Recipe by The Passionate Pantry at https://www.thepassionatepantry.com.au/gingerbread-mix-and-bake-method/