Gingerbread with Golden Raisins

Today is National Gingerbread Day!!!!  I have never ventured to make gingerbread – but what the heck!  I was baking light wheat loaves for the next few days so I just kept on mixing up stuff!  I think gingerbread should have a nice mix of spices to it – not just ginger and cinnamon – even though those should be dominate – so I added more – to my taste. When you make your own gingerbread – and I hope you do – please adjust the spices to your taste!  Remember – a recipe is a guide!!!   And, I love raisins – so I added those.  And I am all into the health value of flax – so I added that!  I made 4 small loaves because I like to share the things I bake with the ones I love.  They came out extra yummy.  I will certainly make this again! – I am thinking when it gets cool in the fall will be really nice!



The cast of characters:  2 1/2 cups un-bleached all-purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons Flax Seed Flour, 1 Cup Golden Raisins, 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 Teaspoon Salt, 2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger, 1/2 Teaspoon Ground cinnamon, 1/4 Teaspoon Jamaican Allspice, 1.4 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Nutmeg (important – get the whole nutmeg and grind it as you need it – completely different flavor – it actually tastes good!)  1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cloves, 1 Cup Molasses, 1 Yard Egg, 1/2 Cup Butter (Melted), 1 Cup Hot Water,  and 1/3 Cup Brown Sugar Packed (see below).


Yep – forgot it in the original ingredient photo!  Silly me!  Preheat the oven at this time to 325° F.


This is one of those baking recipes where you mix the dry stuff together in one bowl - like I did here.


And the wet stuff together in another bowl together – like I did here.  Remember – the brown sugar is considered a wet ingredient!  You should mix the wet stuff together until the sugar is dissolved into the hot water and melted butter. 



Then add the dry to the wet.  (My sweet husband is holding the mixer beater for me – he is so sweet!)  I love this beater with the scraper thingies on it – no need to stop and scrape down the sides while mixing!!!



Mix well for 1 minute on medium speed.  The batter is really liquidy and that is just fine – don’t worry.   Beautiful color – isn’t it? 



I have these 4 cute small loaf pans.  I decided to use them today for the first time.  I sprayed them with Pam so the gingerbread would not stick!

 
I used a measuring cup to fill the pans in an attempt to fill them evenly – wasn’t all that successful – but hey – I tried…  I like placing these little guys on a half sheet pan for easier handling.  Just one trip to the oven is all you will have to make instead of 2 or more. 



The gingerbread is done when  you stick a tooth pick in the middle and it comes out clean.  This took over an hour in my oven…  about an hour and 8 minutes or so.  Please check your oven sooner!


Good stuff – good day!  National Gingerbread Day – yippy!