It wouldn’t be Christmas without the smell of freshly baked gingerbread wafting through your home. A blend of warming spices and rich molasses, it’s a must-have snack on a winter’s day. And when I was a kid, it was always gingerbread that I fed Santa every Christmas Eve. In fact, gingerbread might be my favorite biscuit. It has the perfect balance of crunch and chewing power.
I’d like to think I know a thing or two about how to accomplish that. Participated in the 2023 series. Great British Bake Off He also received the notoriously difficult handshake from judge Paul Hollywood during Biscuit Week.
My success lies in the careful application of science to the art of baking. So let me share some key insights you need to bake gingerbread that will really turn heads, and the science behind why they’re so important. I’m a chemist by trade, so I eschew the traditional gingerbread house and instead assemble biscuits to create a stand-alone Christmas ‘chemistry’. Drool was already coming out of my mouth.
As with all biscuits, the first step is to prepare the dry ingredients. Flour, sugar, spices, and baking soda (see “Ingredients and Instructions” on the right) are required, and each has an important role to play. The flour acts as a binder and helps form the structure of the biscuit, while the sugar caramelizes to create sweetness, color, and texture.
Gingerbread’s flavor comes from a blend of spices, with ginger and cinnamon being the main ingredients.
Source: www.newscientist.com
