RECIPES
Jo Barrett’s Christmas gingerbread
By Jo Barrett
1 hour 30 minutes
Preparation time
12 minutes
Cooking time
12
INGREDIENTS
Gingerbread biscuits
210 g butter, room temperature
220 g (1 cup firmly packed) brown sugar
180 g (¾ cup) golden syrup
1 egg
1 g (½ tsp) allspice
1 g (½ tsp) white pepper
1 g (½ tsp) ground cloves
1 g (½ tsp) ground nutmeg
2 g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
7 g (2½ tsp) ground ginger
1 g (½ tsp) salt
6 g (2 tsp) bi-carb soda
550 g (2 ⅔ cups) plain flour
Extra flour, for dusting
Icing
1 egg white
240 g (1 ½ cups) icing sugar, sifted
½ lemon, juiced
Food colouring of your choice
METHOD
Gingerbread biscuits
- In a bowl of a freestanding mixer with paddle attachment, add butter and beat until soft. Scrape down the edges of the bowl before adding the brown sugar. Continue to beat the butter and sugar for 4 minutes or until pale and fluffy.
- Add the golden syrup to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix on medium speed for 4 minutes. Continue to scrape down the edges of the bowl to incorporate ingredients evenly.
- Add the egg and mix for a further 4 minutes, until pale and thick.
- Add the spices, salt and bi-carb soda to the flour and mix to distribute ingredients evenly.
- Add the flour to the butter mixture in the bowl of the freestanding mixer. Mix on low speed until the ingredients come together to form a smooth dough. This will take approximately 2 minutes, do not over mix.
- Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Press together into a flat square. Wrap and place the dough into the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes or until dough is firm.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place onto a floured surface. Roll the gingerbread out evenly to 1-1 ½ cm thick.
- Cut into shapes and place them onto baking trays lined with baking paper.
- Preheat the oven on Fan Plus at 180°C.
- Place into the oven on shelf positions 2 and 4 and bake for 12 minutes, or until just golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and place onto a cooling rack until completely cooled.
To assemble
- Divide the icing into small bowls and add food colouring. Place into piping bags ready to decorate the cooled gingerbread.
- Decorate the gingerbread with the icing mix. Once the icing has dried, the gingerbread can be stored in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
APPLIANCE / FUNCTION
Jo Barrett
Jo grew up in Melbourne and can’t remember a time when she didn’t love cooking. She strives to minimise waste, employing creative methods to get the most from every ingredient. Industry critics and peers have recognised Jo’s commitment with a string of hospitality awards.
