Weekly Food Challenge

('peer-nitch-ki' - Polish gingerbread hearts). This is one of the in-laws' family recipes, and, like many family recipes, it's somewhat idiosyncratic. I reproduce the recipe as we received it, complete with measurements in two different systems (three if you count teaspoons) and frankly terrifying instructions, under the cut, but here's what I think you should actually do:

Ingredients
1kg strong white flour
400g clear honey
225g butter, diced
225g granulated sugar
3 large eggs, gently beaten
2 heaped teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger
1 heaped teaspoon mixed spice


Equipment
Deep mixing bowl
Sturdy table knife
Bowl and kettle
Saucepan
Something to beat the eggs in
Teaspoon
Large pastry board (or use the work surface if that's what you usually do)
Rolling pin
Heart-shaped cutter
Baking sheets
Oven

Method

Preheat oven to 170degC.

Place the flour into a bowl and make a well. Stand the jar of honey in a bowl of hot water to warm the honey a little. This makes it easier to tip it into a pan and heat (carefully!) until it boils.

Pour the boiling honey into the flour and stir with the blade of a knife. When it's reasonably well mixed, add the butter and keep stirring. Then add the sugar, still stirring, followed by the eggs and the bicarb. Finally, add the spices and mix again.

It is at this point that I consider that you are safe to tip the whole lot out onto a board. There will be some residual heat, but at least you won't be frantically chasing dribbles of boiling honey across a flat surface. Draw it all together and knead for 10 minutes or so until smooth. Cut a piece off to see if little bubbles are beginning to form; if they aren't, knead for a little longer.

Roll out to about 1cm thickness (I have to do it slightly thinner due to the limitations of the cutter, but do it too thin and they don't rise properly) and cut out with a heart-shaped cutter. Place on a baking tray, leaving about 1cm between them, and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

They rise rather than spread, and should end up slightly convex.


What I actually did was scale the quantities down by 15% to allow for the fact that the jar of honey was 340g - all except the eggs. This of course made for a less stiff dough, which was considerably easier to knead, so I might continue to do that in future. Even with reduced quantities, I ended up with well over 50 of the things. Fortunately they keep very well.

Also I think I accidentally used caster sugar, which doesn't seem to have made a huge amount of difference.


( Boiling honey! )