It's that time of year when we revel in the sights and sounds of Christmas: twinkling lights, sparkling ornaments, jingling bells, uplifting carols.
And then there are the smells. Of pine boughs, freshly cut. Hot chocolate, steaming from a mug. Candy canes of cold mint. And, of course, gingerbread.
With its magical alchemy of spice and sweet — ginger and clove, sugar and molasses — gingerbread's aroma whispers warmth. And that warmth is never more welcomed than at Christmas.
If you look up the top 10 scents of Christmas, you're sure to find gingerbread on that list. If you’re searching for a holiday craft to do with the kids, someone is certain to suggest a gingerbread house trimmed with dainty ribbons of white icing and studs of sugared gumdrops. If you're planning the consummate Christmas cookie platter, eyebrows may be raised if there aren't a few gingerbread men peering out from their raisin eyes.
Yes, this is the perfect time to talk about gingerbread.
Funny thing is, gingerbread really is a year-round thing.
Just ask the lonely old lady who so longed for a child that she baked a gingerbread boy who jumped from the oven and ran away, taunting, “Run, run, as fast you can! You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man.” There’s no mention of any snowy hillsides or icy rivers in that ubiquitous American fairy tale.
And then there's Germany where, in many regions, you can find “lebkuchen” at festivals and in train stations any day of the week, any time of the year. Commonly heart-shaped, they're trimmed on the spot with sweet personal messages. In fact, during October, Kretchmar's bakery in Beaver — a three-generation purveyor especially known for its ethnic delights — gave a nod to “Oktoberfest” with heart-shaped gingerbread cookies decorated with German words: Ich Liebe Dich (I love you) and Schatzi (sweetheart), for example.
Tori Avey, a self-described culinary anthropologist who writes the “The History Kitchen” column for PBS Food, outlined the origins of gingerbread in a column in 2013. First cultivated in ancient China, ginger root spread to Europe on ancient trade routes. The first known recipe came from Greece in 2400 B.C. A hard cookie version became a staple at medieval fairs in England, France, Holland and Germany. The shapes of the cookies changed with the season and they were known for their elaborate decoration, hence the phrase “gingerbread work” being used in America to describe the carved architectural details on many colonial-styled homes. Gingerbread arrived in North America with the colonists, the softer more cake-like version being most popular.
Tearing a page from history is the Bethel Bakery in Bethel Park, which sells gingerbread cookies all year-round, changing the look to reflect the season. (Think Steeler season equals gingerbread Steeler-men.)
Owner John Walsh said the cookie-men carry a football during football season; wear a shamrock in March; sport a heart in February; and are trimmed with seasonal colors throughout the year.
While they're available summer, winter, spring and fall, cravings for gingerbread spike in December.
Typically, the bakery may move 150 of the cookies per week, then have quadruple that turnover during December, Mr. Walsh said. “A lot of people ship these during the holiday season. They're great stocking stuffers,” he added.
Likewise, the spicy cookies are a year-round delight at Moio's Italian Pastry Shop in Monroeville. Owner Tony Moio said, at Christmas, he features gingerbread boys and girls, each decorated with colored sprinkles. At Easter, he has gingerbread bunny faces. But, every day of the year, there are gingerbread-man cookies, bagged in pairs, sitting in a basket on the counter.
“They're very popular. We make 12 dozen a week and sometimes we have to [do a second baking] if they sell out,” he said. “They're a good cookie, especially for dunking in milk or coffee.”
He, too, reports that sales in December skyrocket.
“I think it's the smell. You smell that smell and you think of your mother baking in the kitchen. You think of Christmas,” he said.
Karen Kane: kkane@post-gazette.com or at 724-772-9180.
When it comes to gingerbread, I prefer baking the cake to the cookie. That’s simply because I don’t do so well with a rolling pin. I serve this gingerbread with a dollop of whipped cream, but a sifting of powdered sugar is nice, too.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
¾ cup molasses
¼ cup water
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup diced crystallized ginger (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan. (Do not use too much flour or the servings from the edge will be white.)
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
Melt butter in a heatproof measuring cup. Add molasses to the cup and pour into the dry ingredients in the bowl, mixing to moisten.
Add water, stirring until everything is moistened.
Whisk together egg and buttermilk.
Stir into batter until it’s evenly combined.
Stir in crystallized ginger if you’re using it.
Pour batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the cake just begins to pull away from the edge of the pan.
Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 15 minutes before slicing.
Makes 9 squares.
— King Arthur Flour
First Published: December 7, 2016, 5:00 a.m.
