Gingerbread has been a delicious family food tradition in my family. My paternal grandmother, Gladys May Fulton Glover, made gingerbread regularly but most especially during the fall and winter months. My brother and I walked to our grandparents' house after school and many of those days we were greeted by something our grandmother baked earlier in the day. We were not ever surprised to find a tine of oatmeal raisin cookies, a pound cake, or jelly cake, fig bars made from figs from the tree in the yard, or our all time favorite, gingerbread.
After a while, my grandmother began to teach me how to cook, it was like having home economics after school. One of the first things she taught me to bake was gingerbread. Most of the time we used the recipe off the Grandma's Molasses jar. I was filled with excitement to bake with my grandmother and learning to make a favorite dessert was the best! I couldn't wait to share a piece of gingerbread with my family on those baking days. Since that time I've shared my love of gingerbread with my husband and children. I don't bake it as often as I did when the kids were younger and the house was filled with the joy of five children who also grew to love gingerbread, but when I want to have a great memory, I pull out the molasses and get started.
This year the second grade class that I serve in as a tutor, was taught the history of gingerbread. I was excited to hear the lessons and work with the students to complete their assignments on the subject of this special treat. On the day of the class Christmas party, I showed up with a few gift bags, my guitar and a fresh baked pan of gingerbread lightly sprinkled with confectioners sugar. My oldest daughter made gingerbread as teacher gifts for teachers at her daughter's school For Christmas Day my youngest daughter, Sarah baked gingerbread for our family meal together at my parents' house. My dad had a wonderful food flashback.
Here is the Grandma's Molasses recipe for Old-Fashioned Gingerbread
Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cook Time: 1 Hour Yield: 6 Servings An old-fashioned gingerbread recipe that will bring back memories of special times with family. Ingredients 1 ¾ c. flour 1 ½ tsp. baking soda 2 ¼ tsp. ground ginger ½ tsp. ground cinnamon ¼ tsp. ground cloves 1 pinch of salt 5 tbsp. butter (softened at room temperature) 1/3 c. sugar 1 large egg ¾ c. Robust Molasses
Directions 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 x 8-inch cake pan.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Set aside. 3. .In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. 4. .Add the egg and beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour in the molasses in a slow, steady stream, beating all the while.
5. Add half of the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until well combined. 7. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients. 8. Slowly pour in the cold water and stir until well incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35–40 minutes.
The photos are of the gingerbread gifts were baked by my daughter Candace. The batter being mixed was of the gingerbread baked for the school visit.