A couple of weeks ago I was very disappointed. You see, once a year, the morning we decorate our Christmas tree I wake up and make a loaf of gingerbread from a recipe I used to go absolutely nuts for.  I couldn’t find the recipe last year and was so excited when I found it this year, only to discover that once again my tastes have changed. The bread I once found fragrant and flavorful was unfulfilling and well, boring. Naturally, I decided to change all of that.

Now, historically I am not what you would call a “baker”. In fact, I have left a path of destruction in my wake littered with pastry bags and cake tins. However, over the last several months I have sought to change all of that, wishing to bring my ability to create or riff on a recipe from the top of the stove into the oven. I believe I just might finally be getting there and this recipe is the proof. With the exception of one cake I have not shared here, every baked good I have attempted using nothing but my own ingenuity has been a massive failure, which makes this recipe all the sweeter.

That brings me to the actual recipe.

My bread has the beautiful warming flavor, gentle sweetness and soft texture I look for in a gingerbread. It may seem odd that I have added black pepper to the mix, but I can assure you that when blended with ginger, clove and cinnamon it provides a very tempting and satisfying gingerbread experience. I hope you enjoy my gingerbread and celebrate my baking triumph.

Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!

Spicy Gingerbread

8 TBS Unsalted Butter, at room temp

1 cup Dark Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs, at room temp

1/3 cup Molasses

1 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

2 tsp Ground Ginger

3/4 tsp Whole Cloves

3/4 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper

1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

2 1/2 cups AP Flour

1/3 cup Candied Ginger, chopped

Preheat your oven to 325F and butter a loaf tin.

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the cloves and pepper to a fine powder. Combine them with the rest of the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk together. Set dry ingredients aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar, before adding in the eggs one by one, before adding the molasses mixing well to combine. Slowly begin to add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk and candied ginger until the mixture is smooth and well blended.

Pour the batter into the greased tin and bake for 1 hour and 20 to 25 minutes depending on the accuracy of your oven. Check for doneness with a toothpick.

Set out for 10 minutes before un-molding.

Note: It may seem odd that I add in the ginger while alternating the milk and dry ingredients, but there is a method to my madness. The candied ginger tends to stick and clump together in the batter, this method helps you avoid that.