Another first for me out of grandma's recipe box, Gingerbread! In my mind, this was going to be Gingerbread cookies, and no, I am not kidding. I looked fast, what can I say! Since I started this project, it has continually surprised me how many recipes don't remember right away. Then I bake them, and the memories return especially these holiday goodies.
Regardless, what are the holidays without something baked with ginger? As I mixed the batter I made sure to follow the recipe step by step. Once I added the water I knew this recipe was going in a different direction and was not heading towards cookie batter. I was shocked that the batter was like a pumpkin or banana bread consistency.
I called my sister to ask her if she remembered our grandmother baking gingerbread, and she said she did. This is not surprising to me that I do not remember, even though I love the flavor of ginger in savory meals, ginger in sweets is not always my jam! I finished mixing per the recipe and then poured the batter into my grandma's Corningware loaf pan and hoped for the best!
Thirty minutes later, I pulled the loaf out of the oven and let it cool in its pan. Once the bread was cooled, I cut myself a thick slice and gave it a taste. The bread was very flavorful and had just the right amount of ginger. One of the things I noticed was the light crust that formed on the top of the bread, this added a little texture which was a delicious surprise.
After I tasted it, I remembered. I remembered the breads that were laid out perfectly sliced next to the cookies and other sweets for us all to enjoy as we gathered at Christmas at my grandma's. I will be making this bread recipe again for Christmas so that my family can enjoy it, and I know that my family will be super excited! The connection food between food and our memories is one of my favorite things and the reason I love to share it.
Grandma's Gingerbread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp clove
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 cup dark syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 tsp soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a mixer, cream butter sugar, then add spices and salt.
- Add syrup and eggs, beat mixture well, then add 1 cup of boiling water 1 cup flour beat.
- Add remainder of the flour 1 1/2 cup and soda that has been mixed in flour.
- Bake 30 min.
- Allow to cool, slice, and enjoy.
