INGREDIENTS
1 lb Honey
2 cups Sugar
8.5oz Lard or Butter
2 lb Wheat Flour
3 Eggs
3 tspns Baking Soda
½ cup Milk
½ tspn Salt
2-3 bags Gingerbread Seasoning (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamon, etc.)
Handful of Chopped Nuts
3 tbspns Orange Zest
Mix the honey in a large saucepan with the lard/butter and sugar. Bring the honey mixture almost to boil very slowly over low heat, then let it cool until lukewarm. Dissolve the baking soda in ½ cup of cold milk. Gradually add the flour, eggs, baking soda/milk mixture, salt, and gingerbread seasoning to the honey mixture, mixing well by hand. Mix in the chopped nuts and orange zest. Continue mixing and kneading until dough forms in the shape of a ball. Place the dough ball into a stoneware pot, cover with a linen towel and set aside in a cool, dark place for a minimum of 2 weeks. Separate the ripe dough into 2-3 parts. Roll each part out into the shape of a cookie sheet and bake at 350 deg F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (The gingerbread will be hard directly after baking. However, after 2-3 days it will soften and dissolve easily when eaten.) Let the gingerbread cakes cool and spread each one with warmed plum butter, peanut butter, marzipan, etc. Immediately after spreading the filling, stack the gingerbread, cover with baking paper, and weigh down with a cutting board and some books.
