Regina's Gingerbread

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 250 g honey
• 250 g sugar
• 150 g butter
• 200 g wheat flour
• 200 g rye flour
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 100 g almonds, chopped
• 100 g raisins, chopped
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• 12 g gingerbread spice (see the recipe in my cookbook)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tsp lemon peel, untreated, grated
• 6 g potash
• 2 tbsp water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest period approx. 30 days; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 30 days 45 minutes

Grandma’s recipe, enough for about 50 pieces

Gently heat the honey, sugar, and butter in a saucepan until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add the water and potash to a glass and mix well. The potash must be completely dissolved. Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl (I always make my own gingerbread spice) and mix briefly. Add the still-warm honey-sugar mixture and knead slowly on the lowest speed until all ingredients are well blended. Now add the dissolved potash and continue kneading for about 3-4 minutes, until the dough begins to shine. Note: Don’t be alarmed, the dough is very soft – please do not add any flour. It will firm up once it cools. You’ll notice this while stirring. Never let the dough stand for too long, otherwise it will become too hard. Place the dough in a bowl lined with plastic wrap and cover with it. Place a plate on top and place the bowl either in the cellar or another cool place. Now let it rest for at least a week, but a month or more is ideal. After this time, take the dough and knead it briefly again. It should no longer be sticky – if it does, add a little flour while rolling it out. Now roll out the dough to a thickness of about 5-10 mm and cut out gingerbread as desired. Distribute the cut-out gingerbread onto several baking trays, which have either been well greased or lined with baking paper, and brush each with an egg and milk mixture, if desired. Now either bake one baking tray in the preheated oven on the middle rack at 180°C (top/bottom heat) for a good 12 minutes, or bake three baking trays at the same time at 160°C (fan oven) for a good 15 minutes. Depending on the thickness of the gingerbread, you may need to bake for an extra 5 minutes. Move the baking trays around every 5 minutes so that each tray receives the most heat from above. Let the gingerbread cool down and only then remove from the baking tray. Now decorate as desired. Tip: Instead of honey, you can also use caramel syrup. After baking, the gingerbread will harden slightly. It’s best to put it straight into a tin and store it for 1-2 weeks; then it will gradually soften. You can also bake it well in advance and then store it tightly sealed in a cool, dry place. For me, they last a good 2 months and taste better with each week. This is a very old recipe from my grandmother. She made it long before Christmas, usually using 4 to 6 times the amount, using only muscle power. This amount is enough for about 50 loaves. I usually make double the amount because you can always take some away for baking. The dough should rest for at least 1 month so it can fully infuse and the potash can loosen the dough accordingly. My grandmother always made the dough in August and kept it well covered in a cool cellar. Storing it for 1 week is sufficient, but you can taste the difference, and it rises better if it’s stored for longer.