Gingerbread Dough with Caramelized Sugar
This dough recipe cannot be called easy, it has its tricks and nuances, but you will be satisfied with the result. The dough has a beautiful rich color, the gingerbread cookies turn out very fragrant and delicious of course. After baking, the pastries have a smooth and beautiful surface both on top and bottom. I already have a recipe for gingerbread cookies on the site, it is simpler, the gingerbread cookies (or biscuits) turn out slightly different in taste and color, but no less delicious. Choose and definitely make it!
To prepare gingerbread dough with caramelized sugar, take a saucepan with a thick bottom, pour sugar into it and place it over medium heat. Do not touch the sugar until the bottom layer of sugar has melted.
Once this happens, start gently stirring the sugar with a spatula, helping it melt. Stir constantly over low (or medium) heat.
Cook the caramel until it reaches a saturated dark amber color, all sugar granules should dissolve. If the sugar granules have not dissolved but the sugar has reached a saturated color, remove the saucepan from the heat, stir and completely dissolve the sugar, then return it to the heat.
When the caramel is ready, remove the saucepan from the heat and gradually add boiling water. Be careful, caramel has a very high temperature, so when adding boiling water, it will boil and bubble vigorously! Be cautious not to burn yourself!
Once all the boiling water is added, stir the caramel until smooth, return the saucepan to the heat and add the butter. Stir.
After the butter has completely melted, add the baking soda, salt, and spices (all together).
You can use a ready-made spice mix (2 tbsp.) or choose your own spices according to your taste.
Stir, the soda will start to react due to the heat, and the mixture will rise with a large foamy cap. Remove the saucepan from heat, keep stirring all the time.
The foam will gradually settle, cool the mixture until slightly warm.
Then add the egg, mix well.
Then add some flour and start kneading the dough.
When the dough becomes difficult to mix with a spatula, transfer it to the table, place the dough on the remaining flour and knead it on the table.
I cannot give the exact amount of flour, it all depends on the flour itself, so if necessary, adjust the specified amount yourself. Do not overload the dough with flour, it should be soft and slightly sticky.
Wrap the resulting dough in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator. The dough should rest in the refrigerator for at least overnight. It will become dense and easy to work with.
Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, roll it out into a sheet 4-5 mm thick directly on parchment paper or a silicone mat. Use cookie cutters to make gingerbread cookies. This way you don't have to transfer the gingerbread anywhere, they will keep their shape and remain smooth.
Bake the gingerbread cookies in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 6-7 minutes (the time is approximate, as it depends on your oven) This gingerbread dough can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time (1 month), which is very convenient, and you can prepare it in advance.
At this stage, you need to be careful not to burn the sugar. Otherwise, the dough (and the gingerbread cookies accordingly) will have an unpleasant bitterness.