Probably it is impossible at first glance not to recognize the famous Tula gingerbread. This delicacy stands out among many similar products with a beautiful printed ornament and a thin layer of glaze. Kids just love this treat.
A little about the famous delicacy
Tula gingerbread cookies with traditional jam filling are not just fragrant and tasty pastries, but one of the most famous symbols of Russian national cuisine. From ancient times in Russia rich, soft, fragrant products were decorated with unusual ornaments, inscriptions and even paintings. Such pastries were usually served only at the festive table. And sometimes the Tula gingerbread even acted as an expensive gift.
In those days, this treat was a favorite treat for any Russian person. Of course, now everything has changed, and the finished Tula gingerbread can easily be bought in the store. However, it is much nicer to make this treat yourself. Moreover, such a treat made from simple products, without any flavorings and preservatives, will turn out to be much tastier than store products. And in the process, the Tula gingerbread recipe will help you at home.
Features
This aromatic and fabulously tasty delicacy based on natural honey and fragrant spices can conquer even the most sophisticated gourmet. It is simply impossible to tear yourself away from such a treat until you eat the last bite.
What is special about Tula gingerbread? First of all, with its original, unique, voluminous surface, which can be achieved with the help of special wooden boards-templates. In addition, one of the main features of the classic Tula gingerbread is considered an unusual marble coating based on sugar fudge. Special attention also deserves the breathtaking spicy aroma of this baking, the tenderness of its crumb and the viscous plum filling with a characteristic acidity.
Description
The real Tula gingerbread cooked according to a traditional recipe has a rectangular shape and is filled with juicy contents. A mandatory attribute of this product is a printed pattern, the creation of which also uses special forms of wood.
The history of the famous gingerbread has its roots in the distant times of Tsarist Russia. The first mention of it appeared in 1685. Since then, the recipe for the Tula gingerbread, exactly as its appearance and composition, has changed significantly. And he arose thanks to the efforts of professional pastry chefs of that time. The fact is that, competing with each other, the culinary specialists strove to make their product as tasty and beautiful as possible. So there was an impeccable version of baking, which is very popular to this day.
In general, those who are far from the homeland of the famous delicacy, should try the Tula gingerbread recipe and please your family with a unique treat.
Essential Products
So, first of all, you should prepare the components:
- 0.6 kg of flour;
- 50 g butter;
- 2 tablespoons of honey;
- 0.5 teaspoon of soda;
- egg;
- 130 g of sugar;
- a tablespoon of cinnamon;
- 100 g of confiture or jam;
- 2 tablespoons of milk;
- 5 tablespoons of powder.
Of course, the quality of the starting ingredients plays an important role in creating any culinary masterpiece, and the Tula carrot is no exception. When choosing products for its preparation, be sure to pay attention to their composition, naturalness and freshness.
Try to choose honey without impurities, without extraneous odors. The flour should be first grade, and the jam should be thick enough. And refrain from using a cheap spread or margarine - to make high-quality baking, you need good, fatty oil.
If you have prepared everything you need, proceed to the next stage, in fact, creating your fragrant baking. Here, a detailed and proven recipe for making Tula gingerbread at home will help you. Try to follow the instructions given exactly, and the result will definitely exceed all your expectations. And how happy your household will be with such fragrant and delicious pastries!
Tula gingerbread recipe with photo
In a dish suitable for baking, beat the egg and shake it until fluffy foam. Then equip the water bath and place a container with whipped mass on it. Send butter, liquid honey, sugar and cinnamon to the same place. Having mixed the components intensively, add soda to the mixture - it will make the dough lush and soft.
It is noteworthy that, for a long time, the Tula gingerbread, in addition to its taste, was famous for its amazing ability not to grow stale for a long time. So, this property is inherent in the product precisely due to the presence in the composition of honey, which is a natural preservative.
In a water bath, the mixture will very quickly melt and become homogeneous, with a pleasant, smooth texture. Your goal is the complete dissolution of sugar crystals and the appearance of low foam. After the desired effect is achieved, remove the mass from the stove and let it cool slightly. But you should not wait for full cooling - further manipulations need to be carried out with a still hot mixture.
Now in small portions, add the sifted flour several times into the mass. First stir the mixture with a spoon so as not to burn yourself. And after it becomes warm, transfer it to a work surface sprinkled with a handful of flour. Now it remains to knead the dough manually. Of course, if you have a bread machine or a food processor at your disposal, you can put the task of preparing the dough on it.
As a result, you should get a very malleable, elastic, smooth mass, without a single dry lump. Roll out and cook from such a dough immediately after cooking.
The dimensions of future gingerbread cookies you can determine yourself. Some housewives with a lack of time even make one big cake. Although this contradicts the traditional recipe for Tula gingerbread. But be that as it may, keep in mind that for the preparation of one product you need two equal pieces of dough. Based on this calculation, cut the cooked mass into the desired number of parts.
The formation and baking of gingerbread
Carefully roll each piece of dough into a layer with a maximum thickness of a centimeter. Do not forget to flatter the table, rolling pin and hands with a little flour. Lubricate the middle of the rolled cake, which, by the way, should be rectangular, with the prepared filling. Keep in mind that it should be exceptionally thick. It is unlikely that you need spoiled gingerbread cookies with flowing jam. Never use fresh fruits and berries.
Try to beautifully decorate the front side of the future gingerbread with the help of a three-dimensional picture, inscription or application. In the production of real Tula gingerbread, special boards are used that imprint a relief ornament on the dough.
Maybe your kitchen also has some suitable appliances. For example, for this purpose, you can use the means at hand in the form of confectionery molds and cuttings. You can even use an ordinary napkin with a volumetric pattern, making an impression using a rolling pin. Simply attach the material to the dough and carefully ride on it. In general, everything ingenious is simple!
From above, cover the workpiece with the same size dough sheet with an extruded pattern and securely pinch the edges. Then, from all sides, remove the excess with a curly cut or an ordinary knife.
Now it remains to bake the prepared blanks, turning them into gingerbread cookies. To do this, cover the pan with parchment and transfer the made products to it. At the same time, do not forget to leave some distance between them - during baking, the gingerbread cookies will slightly increase in size.
In order to trim the dough is not in vain, roll some of them out figures and also send to the baking sheet. Bake the workpiece for half an hour, choosing a temperature of 190 degrees.
Glaze recipe for Tula gingerbread
Do not forget about sugar fudge, which is considered an obligatory attribute of famous products from Tula. To prepare it, grind the powder with milk by mixing them in a saucepan. Then put the mass on the stove and bring to a boil, then boil for a few more minutes and remove from the stove.
Generously grease the baked gingerbread cookies with a hot glaze using a silicone brush and let the food cool. Very soon, the sugar crust will dry and become white.
Conclusion
On this, the preparation of the famous Russian Tula gingerbread recipe is over. As you can see, there is nothing too complicated in the process. Everyone can do such a treat in their own kitchen! Having mastered the recipe for making Tula gingerbread cookies, you will provide yourself with a crown dessert, which will certainly become your business card.