Slow Gingerbread Baking: A Soft Honey Gingerbread Recipe and a Cosy Christmas Ritual
Slow gingerbread baking means spreading one batch over a few calm days instead of rushing it into one afternoon. You mix a honey dough and let it rest in the fridge overnight, roll and bake the biscuits when you have a quiet evening, then leave them in a tin with a slice of apple for two or three days until they turn soft. The recipe below makes about 40 honey gingerbread biscuits, warmly spiced with plenty of ginger.
It’s a little different from classic British gingerbread. Honey makes the biscuits softer and more fragrant, and they keep getting better for days after baking. Which is lucky, because they’re very hard to leave alone.
The night I kneaded gingerbread dough for an hour
I usually bake at night, when the house is quiet and the kitchen smells of nothing but cinnamon. One evening I warmed the honey and butter, tipped everything into the bowl and started to knead. The dough was crumbly. So I kneaded harder. It stayed crumbly. I kneaded for what felt like a small eternity, pressing and folding and muttering at it, convinced my honey was faulty, or my flour, or possibly the moon.
After almost an hour, with arms like a baker’s apprentice and a dough that was nearly there but still not quite right, I glanced at the counter. Two eggs were sitting there, at perfect room temperature, looking at me.
I added them. The dough came together in about thirty seconds.
So here is my first and most important gingerbread tip: before you start kneading with all your strength, check that the eggs are in the bowl and not politely waiting beside it.
Why honey gingerbread is worth the wait
Honey gingerbread is soft, fragrant and keeps beautifully, but it doesn’t like to be rushed. Resting the dough lets the spices deepen and makes it much easier to roll. Storing the baked biscuits with an apple lets them draw in a little moisture, so they turn from crisp to tender. You do a little each day, and the waiting becomes part of the pleasure.
That’s what makes it such a lovely December ritual. There’s no single, stressful baking marathon, just a few small, warm moments spread across the week.
What you need for about 40 honey gingerbread biscuits
For the dough
- 500 g plain flour (about 4 US cups all-purpose flour)
- 150 g runny honey (a scant ½ US cup)
- 80 g butter (about 5½ tablespoons)
- 120 g icing sugar (about 1 US cup powdered sugar)
- 2 eggs (please do not forget them!)
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- A pinch of grated nutmeg
For brushing and decorating
- 1 egg, beaten, to brush the biscuits for a glossy finish
- Optional icing: 1 egg white, 200 g icing sugar (about 1⅔ US cups powdered sugar) and ½ teaspoon lemon juice
Take the eggs and butter out of the fridge at least 10 minutes before you start. Ingredients at room temperature come together much more easily.
How to make honey gingerbread, step by step
Day one: make the dough
- In a small pan over a low heat, gently melt the honey, butter and icing sugar together. Only warm them, don’t let the mixture boil. Leave it to cool until just lukewarm.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
- Pour the lukewarm honey mixture into the flour, add the two eggs and work everything into a smooth, slightly sticky dough.
- Wrap the dough well and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight. In a good, cold fridge it will happily wait a few days until you’re ready.
Day two: roll, cut and bake
- Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F, gas mark 4) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Roll the dough out to about 4 mm thick (a generous ⅛ inch) and cut out your shapes. Lay them on the tray with a little space between them.
- Brush the tops gently with beaten egg. This gives them that lovely shine.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until just golden at the edges. Don’t be tempted to leave them longer, or they’ll turn hard. Let them cool on the tray.
Day three onwards: let them soften
Put the cooled gingerbread into a tin with a slice or two of apple, close the lid and wait. After two or three days they turn soft and tender, the way honey gingerbread should be. Change the apple every couple of days so it stays fresh.
To decorate, or not to decorate?
Gingerbread doesn’t need icing to be beautiful. The egg wash already makes it glossy and golden, and honestly, I leave most of mine plain. I decorate just a few, mostly because they look so sweet in photos.
If you’d like to decorate, whisk the egg white with the icing sugar and lemon juice into a thick white icing, spoon it into a piping bag or a small food bag with the corner snipped off, and give your gingerbread people two dots for eyes, a smile and three buttons. Wonky faces are the most charming ones. Let the icing dry for a few hours before you store them.
A gentle note: icing made with raw egg white isn’t for everyone. If you’re baking for little ones, someone who is pregnant or anyone who needs to be careful, use pasteurised egg white, meringue powder or ready-made icing instead.
Making gingerbread baking a slow Christmas ritual
My gingerbread evenings are quiet ones. Sometimes I put on Christmas songs, sometimes I bake in complete silence, with just the hum of the oven and the smell of ginger slowly filling the house. There are no rules, which is rather the point.
I also have a kitchen supervisor. My cat likes to be wherever I am, and when I bake she always chooses the one spot I would never have expected: the chair I was about to use, the corner of the table next to the flour, the exact place I want to put the hot tray down. Which is probably why a couple of cat faces always find their way onto my plate, among the gingerbread people, a snowman, a heart, a little tree and an angel.
If you love small, homely bakes like this, you might also enjoy my easy small-batch shortbread. And if you’re planning a calm, simple holiday this year, gingerbread is the perfect companion to a quiet Christmas on your own or with just a few people.
Homemade gingerbread as a gift
A few soft gingerbread biscuits in a paper bag or a small tin make one of the warmest presents you can give. Add a handwritten note and it becomes the kind of gift people remember. I’ve written about why kind words are often the most meaningful Christmas gift, and my free Kind Words gift tags look lovely tied to a bag of gingerbread.
If December is already feeling full, you don’t need to bake everything at once. Make the dough one evening, bake another, and let the rest wait. My gentle guide to getting through December without losing yourself has more ideas for a slower season, and my free Slow Christmas Planner is waiting for you when you join the Zeny Lane newsletter.
If you want the whole kitchen to smell of Christmas while the gingerbread bakes, try my winter simmer pot with cloves and star anise.
A few gentle questions
Why is my gingerbread hard?
Usually it was baked a little too long. Take honey gingerbread out as soon as the edges are lightly golden. If it’s already hard, don’t worry: a few days in a closed tin with a slice of apple will soften it.
Can I make gingerbread dough ahead?
Yes. Wrapped well, honey gingerbread dough keeps in the fridge for a few days. Just let it sit at room temperature for a little while before rolling.
Why put an apple in the gingerbread tin?
The apple gives off a little moisture, which the biscuits slowly absorb, so they turn soft and tender. Replace it every couple of days.
Can I use ready-made gingerbread spice?
Of course. Use about 3 teaspoons of mixed gingerbread spice in place of the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, and keep the 2 teaspoons of ginger as they are.
Looking for more cosy Christmas ideas? Explore all Christmas stories here.
With warmth, Zeny
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