When I was a little girl, my mom would make gingerbread, pull it out of the warm oven, and slather it with butter. I barely remember it, but I do remember it being really special, a homemade treat.
So, since Christmas is so close, I decided to make some of my own.
Last weekend I searched through my grandma's recipe box, looking for a gingerbread recipe, and I found one…. a bit tattered, but definitely still readable and so very special because it looks like it's been used quite a bit.
Below is a printable recipe, without photos, for your convenience.
How to Make Homemade Gingerbread
The first step is to cream the shortening and sugar.
Beat in the eggs, and add buttermilk, along with syrup. Just a tip for the buttermilk…. If you don't have any on hand, you can make your own, using regular milk and about a tablespoon of vinegar. Let it sit for a few minutes, and you have soured milk, the perfect substitute for buttermilk.
For the syrup, Grandma's recipe calls for Ribbon Cane Syrup, but I looked it up to see what I could substitute, since I didn't have that particular syrup. I read that a good substitute would be molasses or light corn syrup. I happened to have light corn syrup on hand, so that's what I used, though I'm anxious to try molasses next time just to see what it does to the texture of the bread.
Next, measure 3 cups of flour, and sift, adding in baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Add in spices, and mix well.
Grease and flour your pan/s. I used a large loaf pan, as well as 2 mini loaf pans. Pour batter into pans, and bake for about 30 minutes in a slow oven (about 350 degrees).
The larger loaf did take a bit longer to bake all the way through. The recipe also says that dough can be kept in the refrigerator and used as needed.
Serve gingerbread with butter; it's definitely best while warm. I had my doubts, using the corn syrup.
We really enjoyed the way this bread turned out, though. It's not too sweet, not too strong…. it makes a really delicious breakfast treat or snack. Enjoy!
And if you're looking for more holiday recipe inspiration, check out my list of The Best Christmas Recipes for Your Holiday Celebrations.
Homemade Gingerbread
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350° F, and grease and flour 2 loaf pans.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream or mix together the butter and sugar.
- Beat in the eggs.
- Then add the corn syrup and buttermilk, mixing well.
- In a separate large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture, along with the ginger and allspice, to the creamed mixture, and mix well.
- Divide and spread the batter in the prepared loaf pans.
- Bake at 350° F for about 30 minutes, or 'til a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Serve while warm with a generous slather of butter.
Can’t wait to try this!!
Thanks Mark! I hope you enjoy.
It was amazing!! Thank you for posting this!
Oh, I’m so glad you enjoyed! You’re very welcome.
This bread looks delicious Mel! It’s so amazing that you have recipes like this from your grandmother – so special! Thank you so much for sharing at Mom On Timeout!
Thanks so much, Trish! I definitely cherish her recipes.:)
This looks yummy! It’s very different that my family’s gingerbread recipe that includes molasses. I’m looking forward to giving it a try.