Lebkuchen

Growing up in our household we made a lot of cookies at Christmas time. Leading up to the holiday each day we would make a different one, almost like an advent calendar in the kitchen. These cookies have wonderful and inscrutable names - pfeffernusse, springerle, biberle, rosettes, krumkake - and flavors and textures totally unlike anything you could find in a grocery store.  Of all these cookies Lebkuchen is my favorite. I think it best encapsulates the strangeness of the season. Heavily spiced, dairy free, unleavened but for the leavening provided by a cold natural fermentation, topped with a shattering glaze, and intended to keep for weeks and weeks (in fact, getting better and better with time). In a single cookie it demonstrates the thrift, ingenuity, and generosity of traditional cooking.  This particular recipe comes from my grandmother-in-law, a far better baker than I will ever hope to be. 

Kit Schumann, Sea Wolf and Oxbow

Prep Time

30 minutes

Bake Time

10-12 minutes

Total Time

3-4+ hours

Yield

30 cookies

Varietal

Trailblazer Bread Flour

Ingredients:

Cookies

  • ½ cup honey 
  • ½ cup molasses 
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
  • 2 ¾ cup Trailblazer Bread Flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon*
  • 1 teaspoon cloves*
  • 1 teaspoon allspice*
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg*
  • 1/3 cup candied citron (you can make your own or purchase it in a store)
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped nuts (I use walnuts)

Glaze

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted

Baker's Notes:

*I always freshly and finely grind spices being used in baking.

**I bought my decorative mold at the Clay Art Center in Tacoma, but there are many traditional molds available online. 

Instructions:

Cookie Prep:

  1. Heat together and allow to cool: honey and molasses (do not boil).
  2. Stir into this mix: brown sugar, egg, lemon juice, grated lemon rind.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift together: Trailblazer Bread Flour, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.
  4. Mix the dry ingredients together with: candied citron and finely chopped nuts.
  5. Mix all ingredients together and chill until cool (60 minutes) but ideally overnight or longer. The honey in the dough with slightly ferment if kept in the fridge for a few days and the texture of the cookie will be lighter. 

 

When ready to bake:

  1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and roll small amounts of dough, about 40 grams, into balls.
  3. Flour their surface lightly and press them flat (about 1/4 in thick) using a decorative mold.**
  4. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes, until there is no imprint when touched.

 

Glaze:

  1. Bring sugar and water to aa boil, stirring until a thread forms when dripped from a spoon.
  2. Remove from the heat and stir in powdered sugar.
  3. Spread this mixture on the cookies while they are still hot from the oven.
  4. Once cookies are fully cooled, place in a tin and store in a cool dry place for as long as they last. They are best after a few days. 

Baker's Notes:

*I always freshly and finely grind spices being used in baking.

**I bought my decorative mold at the Clay Art Center in Tacoma, but there are many traditional molds available online. 

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