Food

Sunday afternoon bake session: Gluten Free Gingerbread

December 21, 2014

Ginger Bread
I have been craving some decent ginger bread for weeks and seeing so many gluten versions around I went on a hunt and found a recipe by ‘Gluten Free on a Shoestring’ that tastes great. Don’t mind my slightly rustic version, the texture is moist on the inside and crisp on the outside, whilst a fairly sweet recipe I don’t mind since they are a festive and occasional treat. A great addition to your Christmas gathering or a tasty gift for friends.
You can find the recipe here

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups (210 g) all-purpose gluten free flour (Mock Better Batter or Better Than Cup4Cup would work well)
3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
4 tablespoons (36 g) cornstarch (don’t have cornstarch? try arrowroot)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (73 g) packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons (63 g) unsulphured molasses
2 tablespoons (42 g) honey
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg (60 g, out of shell) at room temperature, beaten
Royal icing, for decorating (optional)

Method
Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar, and whisk once more to combine, working out any lumps in the brown sugar. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the molasses, honey, vanilla, butter and egg, mixing to combine after each addition. The dough will be thick and smooth, and somewhat sticky to the touch.
Transfer the dough to a large sheet of unbleached parchment paper, cover with another sheet of parchment and roll into a rectangle about 3/8-inch thick (more than 1/4-inch, less than 1/2-inch). If you are concerned that the dough will be difficult to handle, place it in the refrigerator or freezer after you roll it out to allow it to firm up. Dip a gingerbread man cutter in all purpose gluten free flour or cornstarch, and use it to cut out shapes from the cookie dough. With each cut, jiggle the cutter back and forth to create a neat shape. Peel back the rest of the dough from around the cut-outs, and carefully peel off the men and place them, about 1 1/2-inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Gather and reroll scraps, and repeat the process until you have used all the dough.
Place the cut-outs on the baking sheets in the refrigerator or freezer until firm (about 20 minutes in the refrigerator, or just 5 minutes in the freezer). Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake until dry to the touch (about 15 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the baking sheets. They will crisp as they cool.My Adjustments
I used arrowroot instead of cornstarch.
I found the dough was too sticky and a lot of flour was required for rolling and cutting the molds out.

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