Do you love to make Gingerbread? Would you like to have one of the yummiest recipes there is for gingerbread? Then read on to download the recipe and to see my versions that I created.
Make the best ever gingerbread with this fab and prized recipe from Deniz Karaca the executive chef at EPICURE
I have been lucky enough to get my hands on Deniz Karaca’s prized gingerbread recipe.
Deniz is the executive pastry chef of EPICURE in Melbourne. It is a popular restaurant that is known for providing seasonal, fresh, sustainable food using the best local produce available.
EPICURE has also set as benchmark for responsible catering. They have reduced their carbon footprint and prides itself by giving back to the community.
Making the Gingerbread
I had to test out the recipe to see how yummy and easy it was to follow. I must say that it was very easy and simple to do and rather tasty. I normally am not a fan of gingerbread but this mixture was very yummy. I had to test it before I even baked the biscuits.
I collected all my ingredients that I needed for the gingerbread. I like to have them all available on the kitchen bench. This way I don’t forget anything essential.
Step 1: Before I started I made sure that the oven was heating up. I put it on at 180°C.
Step 2: Get the baking trays ready for the finished gingerbread. The recipe says to use melted butter to grease baking trays. I did not do this, I used baking paper on the baking trays to ensure that the gingerbread did not stick to the tray. You can do either method. It does not matter.
Butter, Sugar, egg yolk and Treacle Syrup all ready to be a creamy mixture for the gingerbread.
Step 3: I put the butter and sugar and made it look pale and creamy.
Step 4: Now add the treacle syrup, egg yolk, until all combined. Once done add the flour, bicarbonate of soda and mixed spice (In the recipe it lists all the ingredients in the mixed spice mix. I initially thought that I had to get all of these to make my own. However I realised that if you just get a pack of Mixed Spice. I know this might be obvious to some but as I have never made gingerbread before I did not know). Mix into a dough and kneed until smooth. Wrap up in glad wrap and put in the fridge to rest for 30 mins.
Mixing in the flour and other ingredients.
Note: I ended up leaving my mixture in the fridge overnight due to being busy with kids and things. Before I used it I put it on the kitchen bench for a few hours to get to room temperature, this made it soft enough to roll out to make my gingerbread people. The mixture was fine and the biscuits taste amazing the only thing you need to be aware of is if you leave it in the fridge longer it will be a bit harder and need time to soften up.
The gingerbread dough wrapped in glad wrap and ready to go into the fridge to rest. Rest in fridge for 30 mins.
Step 5: The recipe recommends putting baking paper underneath the dough and on top to ensure it does not stick to your rolling pin. I did this and it made it much easier to get the dough flat and made it not stick at all which helped the whole process.
Rolling the gingerbread dough. It was a good idea to use baking paper to make it a non sticky issue with the rolling pin and counter top.
Step 6: Cut out your gingerbread with your cookie cutter of choice. I used a traditional shaped gingerbread man one but you can use whatever shape you wish to. It depends on the event and theme. You might want Christmas ones, or birthday party ones or just standard gingerbread men. It is up to you.
I used a gingerbread shaped cookie cutter to make my gingerbread people. If you want you can always have different shapes, stars, trucks, people, cats and more.
Step 7: Bake your gingerbread biscuits. It takes about 10 minutes in the oven. Make sure you place the gingerbread biscuits about 3 cm apart from each other. The dough spreads a bit and you don’t want to find that one gingerbread person is attached to another.
Gingerbread all cooked and cooling down. Once cool they will be decorated.
Step 8: Decorate your gingerbread. This is the fun part. You can go crazy with sprinkles, icing and lollies. Once done you can now eat them up.
My decorated gingerbread people. Two are girls and one is a boy. I know it is hard to tell and my decorating skills need a bit of work. Don’t they look pretty! Or festive to say the least.
Some of the items I used to decorate these fabulous gingerbread girls and boy were: candy eyes, hundreds and thousands, different coloured sprinkles, M&M’s, and Queen Writing Icings (I got a pack of 5 that have all different colours)
Enjoy your gingerbread and I hope you found this recipe as yummy as I did.
A HUGE THANK YOU!
Thanks to Deniz Karaca from EPICURE for sharing his gingerbread recipe with my readers.
Originally published November 27 2016
