You said that the more viscous the invert sugar, the better it does its job of attracting and retaining moisture in the bread/cake.

The instructions in your recipe direct us to make simple syrup of equal parts water and sugar, but allow for the creation of a thicker syrup by boiling for 10 minutes, or by increasing the ratio of sugar to water. Obviously, either will create a more viscous syrup, and a more intensely sweet one, too.

The gingerbread recipe calls for 6 oz of simple syrup, which could presumably be of the thinner, less-sweet variety, or the thicker, more-sweet kind. With the latter (which is more sugar and less water), I would have a sweeter, moister bread, than with the former.

(And I expect that the other substitute invert sugars, like corn and golden syrups, have various viscosities and sweetnesses, as well.)

I can’t quite wrap my mind around my question, but it’s something along these lines:

At what point is a syrup too viscous? (is this the point at which it can dissolve no more sugar and therefore begins to – what? – crystallize?

If I use the most viscous possible syrup in the gingerbread, I will be 1) making it a lot sweeter and 2) reducing the amount of water in the recipe.

If I wanted the gingerbread to be less sweet than it turned out in the above scenario, would it be better to use a smaller quantity of the most viscous simple syrup, or would it be better to make my syrup less viscous?

I had a similar question when making your caramel cake. The instructions for making caramel begin with exact quantities of water and sugar, but later direct you to reduce it somewhat, much like the above directions for simple syrup. Since I didn’t really know how to judge whether I had reduced it enough, I wondered about the consequences (for the cake) of using over- or under-reduced caramel.

And finally, what’s the downside of using an invert sugar in a baked good? Even though we universally want them to be moist and tender, most cakes don’t use invert sugars – your yellow cake, for example. Why not? What desirable quality do you sacrifice by using simple syrup?

I could ask about twenty more questions on this topic (like, can I always use simple syrup in place of corn syrup with equally good effect?), but I’ll hush up and hope you have the inclination to take on any one of those I’ve already asked!

jami

This is a fantastic question! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to respond.

Sugar does more than just make things sweet in baking. Sugar is a tenderizer and attracts moisture; it helps keep baked good moist. Sugars that are liquid ‘in their natural state,’ are called invert sugars. Obvious examples of invert sugars are honey, molasses, cane syrup like sorghum. And we can ‘make’ invert sugars by taking crystallized sugar, adding it to water, and boiling until sugar dissolves. Hence simple syrup.

The higher the viscosity (= thickness) of an invert sugar, the better it does at its invert sugar job. For example glucose is more serious than golden syrup or agave.

When cakes employ invert sugars the baker wants the baked good to have a moist, tender crumb. The baker hopes said baked good will stay moist longer than if she uses crystallized sugar. (Crystallized sugar is just liquid sugar dehydrated to various molecule shapes & sizes.)

But not all cake batters can handle invert sugars. Honey is the best example because one can never kill the enzymes in honey and those enzymes work to break down delicate emulsions.

Is this too scientific? Basically gingerbread is a baked good that is, can be, and historically been aged. One wants to make gingerbread and eat it a few days later. All those spices need to calm down and marry, or at least hold hands. Liquid sugars get along with this process better than dry ones.

I created this recipe by making dozens of British recipes and pulling out all the characteristics I loved and combining them all to create one.

I hope you like it, play with it, and make it yours. I have never met a gingerbread that didn’t enter the heart of its baker.

I do have a technical question. but first, I have to say how stricken I am by this particular piece of writing. what a privilege it is to be ‘in conversation’ with a teacher of such great talent.

your writing about your process with food is so…rich. and you are so generous with us, sharing this recipe. I have the dries mixed up right now. 1 tablespoon cardamom = wow.

I am as shocked as I am thrilled to say this: I had never heard of laurie colwin until know. can hardly wait to start reading.

thanks. thanks. thanks.

so. what is the purpose of the invert sugar in this recipe? why simple syrup or corn syrup or golden syrup instead of the plain sugar + hot water that you’ll find in lots of gingerbread recipes?

Thanks for any advice!

It seems to me that so long as the whole wheat flour you’re using is not primarily a bread or a pastry flour (maybe a mixture of 50/50 both?), you should be fine. You could also use spelt flour, that might be nice.

Remember this: the batter should be so much a liquid that it pours. If the whole meal flour you use pulls in more moisture and your batter is thick– add a little more moisture and all should be fine.

This recipe is not particular. I created it from a dozen recipes whose traits I loved, please do not hesitate to experiment further and make it your own!

This is an excellent question!

The best way to divide eggs and yolks for a recipe is to whisk together the needed eggs and then divide that mixture into fractions.

With the leftover eggs you have a nutritious snack that will keep you from eating all the batter before it goes in the oven!

I love the idea of making it as a mix. I have a tiny oven of truly Japanese minimalist dimensions, and there’s no way I could bake all of this at once.

ONE QUESTION: If I were to make up the dry mix and wanted to use only 1/2 or 1/3 of it, how would I divide up the 3 egg yolks and 2 eggs part?

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions and generously share your recipes.