Quick Gingerbread – Grain-free + Dairy-free

Posted by Hiba on Dec 03, 2015 in Recipes & Food

I’m really excited. I finally created a healthier gingerbread recipe that is super quick and easy to make and tastes amazing! And even though I don’t like labels, technically this gingerbread is paleo, vegan and delicious, with very little sugar.

One of my favorite Christmas specialities growing up was gingerbread and yet I have always found it challenging to make myself. Earlier this year, I discovered Chestnut Flour Bread, and this made me think – why not create something similar using chestnut flour for gingerbread? Afterall, the taste of gingerbread comes mostly from the spices, right?

So I experimented with different versions of this recipes, using different proportions of flour and water and adding almond butter for a creamier taste. I then thought it needed to be sweeter, so I added a little molasses – make sure you buy quality molasses

The hardest part of this recipe is finding chestnut flour. After that, it comes together in just a few minutes!

Gingerbread

125g chestnut flour – you can buy chestnut flour in any organic store or online in Switzerland here or here.

2 tsp gingerbread spice blend (see below for recipe or you can buy a ready-made mix)

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tbsp almond butter (made only of ground almonds)

1 tbsp molasses

300 ml water

zest of 1 organic orange (optional)

German Gingerbread Spice Blend (Lebkuchengewürz)

This makes a bigger quantity that you can store in a jar and add to anything from soups to smoothies to yoghurt. Simply combine the spices in the quantities below.

3 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground anise

1/4 tsp ground star anise

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Mix all the dry ingredients then add the wet ingredients and mix really well so there are no lumps. Pour into 2 silicone cake loaf pans. If you are using silicone, you don’t need to grease your pan but if you are using tin or glass you do. The secret is to not fill the cake loaf beyond about 1 cm of batter so that it doesn’t fall apart.

Place in the oven for about 35-40 minutes. Your gingerbread is ready when the top starts cracking. Take it out and place to cool on a wire rack before cutting.