RFI: Good, very dark, gingerbread recipes?

I don't have a recipe handy (although I'm planning on making gingerbread in the next week or so and will have something then), but could it be the molasses? There's that "lite" molasses stuff now that's blended with corn syrup and lighter in both color and flavor, so making sure to use the regular stuff would be one thing -- for that matter, blackstrap molasses is darker still.

Using some whole wheat or rye flour is usually good, too, for that hardcore gingerbread flavor.

Sorghum yay, blackstrap boo.

Fightin words!

I've actually never baked with sorghum, I've only used it as a "sauce" (on biscuits, pancakes, etc). But we can still fight!

Dammit, lost my image.

http://www.robotoys.com/Rockem.gif

"You hussy, this dress isn't big enough for the both of us! Have at you!"
"Gesundheit!"

http://www.annsumma.com/trav/MexicanWrestlers/Inthering.jpg

This is kinda getting off topic, isn't it?

Yeah, and I'm hungry.

http://www.emulazone.com/Reviews/Nes/Punch-Out/snap001.gif

Blackstrap has an adddicting strange flavor I've never been able to describe properly. Dirt? Oh, wait, terroir?

I was baking this morning and decided to make a gingerbread - haven't made one in years and years, but had a bottle of blackstrap in the cupboard. I used the recipe from Beard on Bread, but added 2 oz of finely chopped crystallized ginger to the batter.

1 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup boiling water
5 Tbsp butter

Put in a mixing bowl and stir until all incorporated.

Add to the molasses mixture:
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1.5 - 2 tsps powdered ginger

Stir lightly, then mix in 2 cups of flour (and your chopped ginger bits if you like).

Smooth into a buttered 9"x9"x2" pan and bake in a 375 F oven for 25 - 35 minutes (drop the temp to 350 F if using a dark or glass pan). The center of the cake should spring back when lightly touched and the sides of the cake should pull away from the pan when done.

Photos of the finished product and a Sally Lunn.

Good heavens! That gingerbread looks like a slab of leather. I'm totally curious about the taste.

But is it blackstrap or dark molasses?

I used blackstrap, the recipe actually says either light or dark molasses. It's really gingery and really .... uh ... earthy, but in a good way. Like Orbit says, a bit of terrior (but none of that "sweaty saddle" or "tobacco" you hear about in wine). Not peaty like a good scotch either.

Jaq, that gingerbread looks a lot like mine! Here is my slightly different recipe:

1/2 c butter
1 egg
1 c blackstrap molasses
2 1/2 c white flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t ginger
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t cloves
1 c hot water

(I've never made it with fresh ginger but I really want to try; I'm a big fan of ginger)

Beat butter in a mixing bowl until soft; beat in egg. Add molasses, mix well. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, ginger , cinnamon and cloves onto waxed paper. Add to molasses mixture alternately with hot water. Then pour the batter into a greased and floured 9x9x2 baking pan. Bake in 350F oven for 40 mins or until top springs back when lightly pressed with fingertip. Cool in pan on wire rack.

for good measure, here is my gingerbread cookie recipe. Again, it doesn't use fresh ginger but I want to find one that does. Should I just dice up fresh and throw it in there?

1/2 c oil
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 T cold water
1/2 c dark molasses
3 c white flour
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t salt

Cream together oil, sugar, molasses, and water. Mix together flour, spices, and salt. Add dry ingredients to oil mixture and mix well. Dough will be stiff. Chill at least one hour. Roll dough about 1/4" thick. Cut into shapes and place onto greased cookie sheet.

hm, I don't seem to have the oven temp written down. Take a guess, or just eat the dough raw, whatever.

ooh! this is my wednesday project. I usually use about 1/3 less ginger when it's fresh, fwiw.

I put shredded ginger in my ginger cake. Everyone is like "OMG is that shredded ginger? That's not how it's supposed to be, is he an idiot? OMG THIS IS THE BEST EVAH!!!"

Teeny, I agree with the just eat it raw. There's something very wonderful about raw gingerbread dough. My mom would make gingerbread drop cookies with chocolate chips in them - that was the best ever raw dough.

I never thought about using fresh ginger in the gingerbread - we always have a bunch around (in the freezer; it grates pretty easily when frozen). I seem to be making a pan of gingerbread every week now. So it must be on the list of comfort foods with the other stuff I've been making.

Similarly, I have a recipe for triple ginger scones that I supplement with choc. chips - heavenly. The recipe calls for three different forms of ginger: powder, fresh, and crystallized.