BRJWinter23Web - Flipbook - Page 15
Louisa Macculloch9s Soft Gingerbread
Courtesy of Macculloch Hall Historical Museum
We do tend to connect
gingerbread with Christmas, but people have
been eating gingerbread
since the time of Ancient
Egypt and Ancient
Greece. Ginger was
taken for medicinal reasons, including the
soothing of the stomach
and digestion. Today gingerbread houses and gingerbread men come to mind, thanks to
the stories of the Brothers Grimm.
In Europe, the guild of gingerbread bakers determined which
bakers could bake gingerbread and what times of the year. Members of the guild could bake gingerbread throughout the year
while others could only bake it on Christmas and Easter. European traditions were brought over to the American colonies with
German and English immigrants.
Louisa Macculloch (1785-1863) had several gingerbread and
ginger cake recipes in her cookbook. All of these recipes call for
baking powder or baking soda, which may mean they date from
the 1840s to the 1860s.
" !
!
Louisa9s Original Recipe - Cream together ½ cup butter and ½ cup
sugar. Add 2 eggs, 1 cup molasses, and ½ cup milk. Sift together 2 cups
flour, 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ginger and 1 teaspoon
of cinnamon. Add to other ingredients. Bake in moderate oven.
Cynthia Winslow9s Adapted Recipe for Today
½ cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
½ cup milk
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together butter and sugar.
Add eggs, molasses, and milk. Sift together flour, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Grease square baking pan and pour gingerbread mixture
into pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes(check after 30 mins). To test,
insert toothpick in center and toothpick should come out dry.
Plan your visit to Macculloch Hall Historical Museum and
discover more of Louisa Macculloch9s recipes that you can try
at home at maccullochhall.org.
BRJ 2023
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