Tuesday, April 30, 2019

English Gingerbread (And One Very Sad Song)




Gingerbread!  I made some gingerbread this weekend.
 It was quite good. Would you like the recipe?  No? Well, too bad, I am going to give it to you anyway!  (I crack myself up.)

ENGLISH GINGERBREAD  (From Old Cookery book circa 1890)

1 cup brown sugar
1 2/3 cups flour  (plain)  For Gluten free use rice flour/corn starch
2 teaspoons ground ginger
pinch of salt
3/4 cup milk 
4 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
optional for gluten free:  1 teaspoon xanthan gum


There you go! Easy! (I love easy.) I bake gluten free for my husband. So for the flour, I used rice flour and corn starch mixed together to make up the 1 and 2/3 cups.  Also, I used the xanthan gum but you can leave that out if you like and certainly do leave it out if you are not baking gluten free!

Let's see...I mixed the flour, sugar, ginger and pinch of salt together. Then, I mixed in that bit of xanthan gum.  In another bowl, I mixed the egg, melted butter together and then, mixed in the milk.   Pour the wet into the dry and mix well. Pour into greased brownie pan. (It said to use an 8 inch square pan, but my oblong brownie pan was just right.) Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.


There!  Please note that there is not one bit of CINNAMON in this! Try to keep that hand away from that strong cinnamon if you can and just try it with the ginger.  It is called GINGER-bread, after all!
(Just looked it up, it is believed that the Armenian monk Gregory of Nicopolis first brought gingerbread to France in the year 992 where he taught the French Christians to make gingerbread. From there, it spread all over Europe.  So, it is a very ancient sweet!)

The photo that I have for you...the crossvine flower, these were blooming all over our local monadnocks!  This one was at Arabia Mountain. Some think it smells like cinnamon, some think it smells like coffee.  What do I think?  I think it smells like a crossvine flower! It is a heavenly fragrance. When we were walking, we could smell them before we saw them.

Okay, you are thinking...that is the gingerbread but what about the very sad song?  Of course, you must know the one that I am thinking about!  It is a song written by Dolly Parton, "Me and Little Andy" and since it mentioned the word "gingerbread", my baking brought this song to my mind...

"Ain't Ya Got No Gingerbread?"  






37 comments:

  1. I bet your kitchen smelled lovely while that gingerbread was baking!

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  2. I will try this recipe next time I bake gingerbread. Would you believe my mother baked a pan of gingerbread every day of life after my father got Parkinsons and started getting 'bad'. It was one thing he could taste and swallow down. He liked a bit of butter on his and washed it down with strong black coffee.

    Love Dolly Parton. She's a national treasure! xo Diana

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    1. Then gingerbread has a special meaning for you. x

      You know how I love songwriters and she is one of the best!

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  3. Such a simple recipe, i will have to try it. You are right about the song being very sad.

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    1. It is a simple recipe which is why I like it!

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  4. I love Dolly...and I love anything made using ginger...cakes, biscuits or savoury.

    I'm never without ginger in its many forms, fresh included...and ginger marmalade!!

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    1. I have fond memories of eating ginger marmalade on toast in England. And the ginger cookies! Ginger seems to be more appreciated in England, so I take advantage of all things ginger while I am over there.
      Glad you love Dolly too! Did you know this song?

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  5. Oh gosh! I haven't had gingerbread in forever. Now you've made me want some. I love Dolly Parton. I've never heard that song, but it does bring a tear to your eyes. No nuts! You've got that awful spam too. I just can't seem to get rid of it no matter how much I've reported it.

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    1. Yes, I keep getting that same spam. It is irritating.

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  6. When all the kids were at home I used to make sticky parkin a kind of gingerbread, we had it with cream on. Memories, lol
    Briony
    x

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    1. OH, that lovely cream that you have in England. That is also something that is better in Britain! You are making me hungry!

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  7. Oh my...We call them Trumpet Vines and they are seriously invasive. I had one and it started tearing up our wooden fence...took about four years to get rid of it.
    Thanks for the gingerbread recipe!!
    hughugs

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    1. https://www.southernliving.com/garden/vines/invasive-trumpet-vine

      If you copy and paste that above: it is an article from Southern Living magazine "Just Say No To Trumpet Vine". It is funny too!
      Let me know if you make the gingerbread!

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  8. The gingerbread sounds delicious. The song is great.

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    1. The gingerbread is very good. And no one can write a pitiful song like Dolly!

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  9. I'm trying to imagine popping down the road to pick up some xanthan gum (whatever that is) in 1890. As for Dolly, I instinctively feel I shouldn't like her - but can't help it. Talented, bright, lady; hideous hair!

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    1. Ha, ha! I had to make adjustments for gluten free!
      You most certainly should like Dolly! She is one awesome woman. Did you know that she started giving books to children in her county in Tennessee but that has grown into distributing books around the world. Last year, she gave away her 100 millionth book. That's my kind of gal!

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  10. I don't think this photo is of trumpet vine.......At least, our trumpet vine is more bright orange and has no fragrance. I love the color of your crossvine flower. Thanks for the fun Dolly Parton song. How old do you think she was in that?

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    1. It is a crossvine, the trumpet flower is very similar though from the info that I have read. Not sure of Dolly's age in that video, she had that song on one of her albums in 1977 so I am guessing she still in her 20's? She is older than I am, I was 20 in 1977!😊


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  11. Yum, gingerbread! My mom used to make a lemon sauce to eat it with, but I couldn't tell you how she did that. Over half a century ago, it was. I don't recall ever making gingerbread, but I think I should give this a try!

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    1. I should tell you that the old recipe used baking soda in hot water...but I used the baking powder! Be sure and sing that song by Dolly when you bake it. Say a prayer for children who are neglected or abused.

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  12. I love gingerbread. I usually make it with treacle, at least, I say "usually" but I haven't made it for years, my recipe seems to be mostly sugar.... help!!! I saw something like those beautiful flowers when I was in Spain - I think. They intrigued me. I don't know if they were a variant on yours, the ones I saw didn't have a scent and were really large, about the size of a small melon!

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    1. Thinking of those flowers the size of melons! Wonderful imagery. Make some gingerbread or else go buy some, I know you can in England!

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  13. By coincidence I had ginger biscuits today. Don't have ginger flavour that often so an exotic taste if it's in concentrated amounts. Rich and fiery. Not heard that song before. Found it very interesting as it highlights the way USA (country) and UK songwriters view the world. Grim, deprived upbringing of a child most UK songwriters would just describe that in stark black and white detail. Country singers tend to put polish and almost fairy tale colours into it, despite the obvious bleak story underlying it. Same with punk music 1970s 1980s- UK version-gritty, raw, unpleasant, grim, in your face... USA version- more polished, more bells and whistles, more Hollywood in a way.
    Highlights the difference between the countries I think in a song as Uk in general tends to be more cynical, more naturally pessimistic, less 'can do' spirit than America or Australia. Probably something do do with the old nations/ new nations outlook.

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    1. Did you know that my English husband is also a songwriter? And a very good one too, as well as being an excellent guitarist. I tease him about the sad songs that he writes, encouraging him to write happier tunes. This goes along with you have told me here! Dolly Parton is a great singer/ songwriter and someone I really admire. To me, this song says, look let's not let this ever happen to children but set to a lovely hopeful melody. Hope and melody, that is always for me! Difficult to keep hope these days, times are hard and mean.

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  14. I usually associate Gingerbread with Christmas but I do enjoy it so I don't know why it can't be made anytime! Thanks for the recipe! Now about that sad song...I love Dolly Parton, bad hair and all! That is one sad, sad song..she was right, it's pitifully sad!

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    1. Of course those are wigs that she wears but since she always wears them it makes you wonder what her hair looks like! Make some gingerbtead, you will be singing this song. I am reminded of songs in everything I do.🎶

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  15. Sounds like a very good recipe. Now I must buy ginger.

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    1. One thing I always have is ground ginger!😊

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  16. Love that this recipe is from an Old Cookery book circa 1890 … amazing.

    All the best Jan

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    1. Richard's grandmother from England was born in 1870, so she might have made this same recipe. That really makes me smile.

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  17. My husband says there's nothing better than cracking yourself up, so there you go! I love Gingerbread, but hate to bake. A great aunt used to make the best gingerbread...am tasting it now in my memory. Enjoy yours.

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    1. I am not a good baker either so that is why I have you this very easy recipe! I giggle and laugh all the time, very often at myself! Thanks very much for your comment!

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  18. Oh my what a sad, sad song. But I do love Dolly:) Her songs tell such wonderful stories. Found your blog from Nana Diane...I'm a GA peach too:)

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    1. Hey Cheri! That song is very sad but that is a songwriter for you, they give us everything of life!
      So happy to meet you! Let's be friends, we Georgia gals need to stick together. :-)

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  19. I haven't made gingerbread in a long time. It is a Nova Scotian favorite. I need to make some! Dolly Parton is a genius at songwriting. Have a good one!

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