Mezeshkalach - Hungarian honey gingerbread

[So, preparation:]

Mezeshkalach - Hungarian honey gingerbread

Category: Bakery products

Kitchen: Hungarian

Ingredients
flour	700g
honey	200g
powdered sugar	250g
baking soda	1 st. l.
butter	50g
eggs CO	4 things.
spice mix	1h l.

Cooking method

• 
• Honey is the main ingredient in Hungarian gingerbread, which in Vegria are called mezeshkalachki or honey kalachi (honey bread). Honey is the oldest sweetener in the world, and gingerbread has been around since people learned to bake bread.
• In Hungary, honey bread first appeared in monasteries, in aristocratic castles and among citizens of princely (capital) cities. It was baked in private homes and artisan workshops. In the Middle Ages, representatives of the upper classes presented gingerbread as a gift both on major holidays (Christmas, Easter, etc.) and on special occasions (wedding, baptism, birthday / angel).
• From that time on, gingerbread patterns began to experience the influence of the Renaissance and Baroque, and the themes of the plots were mainly religious. Since the 18th century, gingerbread has become more affordable for most of the townspeople. Old religious themes began to be replaced by everyday scenes, images of smartly dressed women and men, babies in cradles, etc.
• By the beginning of the 19th century, gingerbread cookies reached ordinary peasants. Bakers sold their products at markets, fairs and celebrations.
• In the 1850s, gingerbread cookies, decorated with sugar and protein glaze, first appeared in Germany, which quickly gained popularity throughout Europe. Until that time, gingerbread cookies were baked in print, creating a pattern using an imprint from wooden boards. Now the old gingerbread boards began to be replaced by special tin cuttings, without changing, however, the traditional forms. These new gingerbread cookies were usually covered with the bright red lacquer glaze typical of Vegria (although this can also be found in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and even Poland) and with a very beautiful artistic white pattern made of protein-sugar glaze (Aisinga).
• Again, these beautiful products were mainly given on holidays and not for eating, but for decorating the home and demonstrating the wealth of the owners. After all, these little pieces of gingerbread art were not cheap. Gingerbreads could be stored for more than one year without losing their properties.
• With the advent of the 20th century, with the emergence and spread of sugar, the art and profession of gingerbread masters began to be replaced by pastries and cakes and imperceptibly forgotten. Some masters switched to the production of more modern and demanded sweets and confectionery products, while others continued the work of their ancestors adding new products, painting techniques and developing their art to new heights.
• Now gingerbread craftsmanship and gingerbread painting are experiencing a new wave of revival thanks to such enthusiasts of their craft. They look for their inspiration in ancient and traditional Hungarian embroidery, ceramics and other folk arts and crafts.
• This incredibly rich history and tradition could not leave me indifferent, so with great pleasure I plunged into the search for traditional Hungarian recipes, patterns and secrets. For many months I waged an unequal struggle with the Hungarian language, with the unwillingness of Hungarian craftswomen to share their secrets, but my enthusiasm and perseverance nevertheless bore fruit, and the walls of mistrust and pseudo-competition eventually collapsed. Now I can proudly call many famous Hungarian gingerbread masters my comrades-in-arms, friends and allies)))
• This recipe was my favorite. Its author is a Hungarian gingerbread cake named Marty.Here I give her recipe with my additions and observations. I have been baking these gingerbread cookies for a year. And while everyone who tried them told me that these are the best gingerbread. I hope you enjoy them too.
• So, preparation:
• In one bowl, combine eggs with powdered sugar, spices and baking soda. After several months of baking these gingerbreads, I would still recommend combining soda with honey, and not with an egg mixture.
• In a separate bowl, dissolve the honey and butter, warm the mixture, but do not bring to a boil. I am warming up in the micro. To stir thoroughly.
• Combine the contents of both bowls and gradually add flour. If the eggs are small, then you need less flour, but it is better to use large eggs. The dough should not be steep, it will be sticky and viscous, I collect it directly from the bowl in a bag. Now it is still warm and liquid, when it cools down and matures, it will become pleasant and convenient to work with. If the dough is immediately pleasantly steep, then the next day it cannot be kneaded or rolled out. Knead the dough and leave it in an airtight container at least overnight. It is best for a week in the refrigerator, if necessary quickly, then overnight at room temperature. In general, the longer the dough is on, the better. It can be stored in the refrigerator for months. I don't freeze it.
• The next day, knead the dough again and leave to rest for another couple of hours.
• 
• Roll out the dough 3-4 mm thick, cut in any shape and put on a baking sheet on parchment at a short distance from each other, as the dough will greatly increase during baking (at least 2 times).
• 
• I now bake on a non-stick baking sheet and even on a plain, dusted with flour. From parchment, gingerbread cookies are often obtained with bubbles, since it wrinkles under them, and the dough rises in those places.
• 
• Grease the gingerbread cookies with cream or coffee with cream (you can use milk), the fatter the cream, the better it smears and the gingerbread cookies become smooth and shiny.
• In this photo on the left, the gingerbread cookies are not smeared with anything, they turned out to be slightly uneven, although this is not always the case and not at all smooth:
• 
• Bake in an oven preheated to 180C for about 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of the gingerbread. I set the timer for 7 minutes, this is usually enough, they should not turn very brown, because they do not have cocoa in them.
• 
• After baking, place the gingerbread cookies on a flat surface with the top side down, as they continue to change their shape, and thus trim. I stopped doing this, because I don't bake on parchment, they turn out round and smooth, and I like this roundness.
• For Hungarian lacquer glaze, take one yolk, 1 tbsp. l. milk and food coloring, mix it all until smooth, trying to avoid the appearance of bubbles. Gently apply the mixture on the gingerbread with a brush and put in an oven preheated to 140C for a couple of minutes until the coating dries. After that, the gingerbread cookies will again be soft for a couple of days, so I let them dry before painting with icing.
• 
• Before decorating with glaze, wait at least a day, or even a few, so that the level of humidity in the gingerbread is normalized and the glaze does not break off afterwards. As a rule, it takes me at least 2-3 days.
• and one more small addition. Since painting with glaze requires complete drying of the gingerbread, this whole beauty after painting tastes like a crouton. But honey dough is very hygroscopic - it dries quickly, but it also quickly replenishes moisture. Therefore, if your gingerbread cookies are dry, no matter for whatever reason - you specifically dried them or not, then it is very easy to revive them.
• To do this, it is enough to put the gingerbread cookies in an airtight container with a cut apple overnight, if there are a lot of gingerbread cookies or they are thick enough, then the next morning, renew the cut at the apple and hold the gingerbread cookies for another day. As a rule, 1 day is enough for the gingerbread cookies to be soft, which you can eat with your lips. This is how soft they should be.
• 100 g of the product contains protein - 7.99 g, fat - 5.7 g, carbohydrates - 67.0 g, energy value - 349 kcal.

The dish is designed for

40 pcs, size 8x5 cm

Time for preparing:

30 minutes kneading, day of exposure, Baking 7-10 minutes

Note

Not a single Hungarian wedding can do without large ones of the order of 30 cm and elegant wedding gingerbread. This tradition is also gaining popularity here.



About spices:
I cook all the spices myself and grind them just before adding them to the dough. But when I have a lot of gingerbread baked goods scheduled for a short period of time, I cook for a short time.
I take 1-2 tbsp. l. ground cinnamon
cloves, already ground - 1 tsp.
Ground ginger - 1 tsp
ground allspice - 1/2 tsp
ground cardamom without boxes - 1/2 tsp
ground nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
ground star anise 1/2 tsp or you can add 1/2 tsp coriander instead of star anise plus 1/2 tsp fennel

And now I add 1-2 tsp to this mixture according to my mood)))

In general, I believe that spices can be added exclusively to your taste both in quantity and in composition.

Similar recipes

Soft gingerbread for painting (elena88)

Recipe for soft gingerbread that you need to bake right away (Sahara)

Gingerbread with cocoa for painting (elena88)

[Masinen]

Gingerbreads, a masterpiece !!
We look forward to continuing!

Masinen, Mashulya, thanks, but they are also delicious. I only baked more than 30 pieces a week ago, hoping to paint them and hang them on the Christmas tree, but only 4 pieces were left there.

Additional information on gingerbread

How to soften a gingerbread
How much unbaked dough can be stored in the refrigerator
Which dough recipe is most suitable for houses
When to insert a skewer into a gingerbread
Why is the alignment board stuck to the gingerbread?
Why the gingerbread frosting turned out to be liquid
How to soften tough dough
How to fix too tough dough
How to understand that flour no longer needs to be added to the dough
How to fix too steep dough-2
The amount of soda in the gingerbread
What soda to take for baking
Is it possible to add rye flour to the dough

[Liza]

Liza, this is just a MASTERPIECE !!! I'm under the table This is what a piece of jewelry!

[Elven]

Elven, Lena, thank you, then you just do not look into the topic "Decorating gingerbread and cookies", but in vain! There, not only I, but also the rest of our craftswomen with gold handles constantly exhibit my works.

The gingerbreads are wonderful!

[Liz]

you just do not look into the topic "Decorating gingerbread and cookies", but in vain!

We kind of crossed over a thousand years ago Liz, honestly, I dropped in a couple of times, but there is absolutely no time to read the topic all the time. You are all just sorceresses! You are doing this kind of jewelry work! I always admire people who paint beautifully. But my hands are not sharpened for that

Len, and I turned to all the girls, that's why I wrote "you")))))
I unfortunately cannot transfer photos from the computer to the gallery in the process of rolling and baking gingerbread. Now I added pictures that were already in my gallery.

[Liz]

Len, and I turned to all the girls, that's why I wrote "you")))))

oops!
Liz, I have taken the recipe to the bookmarks. I will definitely bake, only without painting

Lisa, what a fine fellow you are! The beauty! Tell me, about spices, do you buy a ready-made mixture, do you make the mixture, or add it separately? We just haven't seen the gingerbread mixture.

[Elven]

Elven, Flax, then a small addition that I will add to the recipe - these gingerbread cookies are not very sweet, I stopped at this recipe, because it is not cloyingly sweet, especially since the icing on top is also sugar, together with it the very thing turns out! But if you like sweeter, then increase the amount of sugar or make double gingerbread cookies with something sweet (jam, boiled condensed milk).

Lisa, what a fine fellow you are! The beauty! Tell me, about spices, do you buy a ready-made mixture, do you make the mixture itself, or do you add it separately? We just haven't seen the gingerbread mixture.

Oh, I apologize for not explaining the spices. I will definitely fix it.
I cook all the spices myself and grind them just before adding them to the dough. But when I have a lot of gingerbread baked goods scheduled for a short period of time, I cook for a short time.
I take 1-2 tbsp. l. ground cinnamon
cloves, already ground - 1 tsp.
Ground ginger - 1 tsp
ground allspice - 1/2 tsp
ground cardamom without boxes - 1/2 tsp
ground nutmeg - 1/2 tsp
ground star anise 1/2 tsp or you can add 1/2 tsp coriander instead of star anise plus 1/2 tsp fennel

And now I add 1-2 tsp to this mixture according to my mood)))

In general, I believe that spices can be added exclusively to your taste both in quantity and in composition.

Okay, I'll keep the sugar in mind. And how many pieces are obtained from this quantity? I don't have big molds, only cookies. Probably a lot will turn out, right?

Lena, most likely a lot. the thing is that I have been kneading several dough norms at once for a long time and use large cuttings. But even from one norm, a lot of gingerbread is obtained. If you do not plan to paint them and at the same time like a fluffy soft gingerbread, then roll out the dough about 0.5 cm, since small-sized gingerbreads, being thinner, often dry out.
In general, try to roll them out and bake them in different ways, or you can cut them out with just a glass, make a hole in the top with a cocktail tube - so the Christmas tree gingerbread toy is almost ready. You can decorate it very slightly, but you can only thread a bright ribbon, it will still look very soulful on the tree.

And here is my first experience, both with baking gingerbread, and with painting.
I had no doubt about the dough, it is obedient and pleasant to work with, there were no problems with baking.
I am very glad that Lisa shared her find and experience with us! This is my first gingerbread and for now I will stop at them)))
Thank you!

[fomca]

fomca, Svetochka, thank you for the report!
and tell me from fresh memory, did you knead the full norm of the dough? How many gingerbread did you make and what size?

I will add. One portion made 38 gingerbread. The size of the cut is about 8 cm high, the width at the widest part is about 5 cm. The gingerbreads turned out to be much larger.

Urrraaa !!!! Wait !!!! Liza! Gingerbreads SUPER !!!!

And here is my first experience, both with baking gingerbread, and with painting.

When did you manage to do that? Only the recipe appeared? !!!!

[Liza]

Liza, how I love to read your recipes !!! And she introduced me to the history, and the description is sooooo detailed, and what to pay attention to ... YOUNG MAN !!! How not to make gingerbread after this ??? !!!

When did you manage to do that? Only the recipe appeared? !!!!

And some of these gingerbread and hawala !!!!

When did you manage to do that? Only the recipe appeared? !!!!

Sveta had taken the recipe from me earlier and had already managed to bake, in fact, she stopped all my doubts about whether to exhibit this recipe or not.

[Liza]

Liza, Sveta, Thanks for the useful information! I'll try first for a full rate

And some of these hawala gingerbread !!!!

Well, what are your impressions?

[Liza]

Liza, I am delighted with these masterpieces! : bravo: Such a wonderful painting, beauty ...
in a whisper: I wish I could do that too

Veichka, what a smart girl and a needlewoman you are! How beautiful the gingerbread. For two years now I've been collecting recipes for different gingerbread. All of them are oak. This year I want to try Evgenia's rye gingerbread from Volgograd and your dough. Your glaze and gingerbread painting are very good.

[Leka_s]

Leka_sThank you very much for such a high assessment of my work, I am very pleased! And painting is very addictive, you just have to start!

lungwort, Natasha, I really hope that you will like the gingerbread cookies, if you do not dry them out in the oven, then immediately after baking they are soft and putting them in an airtight container, this softness lasts long enough, but I always have apples to "revive!" So that the most tender and soft gingerbread cookies are obtained quickly.

I will repeat once again that absolutely any gingerbread according to any recipe prepared, even the most oak ones, including those in the store, which have dried up, can be made soft by holding them in a box with an apple cut into pieces (!)!

[Liza]

Liza, gingerbread super! Jewelry work! So sweet, tender and festive!

Lizonka, I am glad that you have finally submitted this recipe.
There are a couple of questions.
You write that after the dough has rested for a day in the refrigerator, it must be kneaded and allowed to rest for another couple of hours.
How zealously should you knead it? Is it better to do it in KM or is it enough to put it on the table several times?
And where is it better for him to rest - again in the refrigerator or at room temperature?
Is it necessary to paint with icing over the glaze, or is it possible without glaze directly over the gingerbread?
How much dye should be mixed for 1 yolk and a spoonful of milk? Is this amount of frosting enough for that amount of dough?

I have a 1961 book. in. "500 kinds of homemade biscuits from Hungarian cuisine".
There are 3 gingerbread recipes that are very different from this one.
And there are several recipes that are similar in composition, but they are called "honey cookies".
It was interesting to compare.

You can't take your eyes off - lace!

Thank you! Must try

[Vei]

Vei, I have already stopped by a hundred times to admire such beauty and such delicate, exquisite work! Thank you! I will dream of free time, because this does not tolerate fuss!

Well, what are your impressions?

Impressions - delight !!! They are so spicy, aromatic. I smiled the fill with joy !!!)

[Olga VB]

Olga VB,
Olya, in the original recipe, after kneading, the dough is left on the table overnight, that is, at room temperature, then the next day, knead the dough with your hands, not in KM, and let it rest under the film for another couple of hours.
I empirically came to the conclusion that it is better for the dough to stay in the cold for a week, the author also mentioned this. After the cold, the dough should warm up in warmth and then only it can be kneaded.
These gingerbread cookies do not taste like cookies at all, especially since they are so low in fat.
You will have to add a lot of dye, in any case, gel, you just need to focus on the saturation and intensity of a particular dye.
You can decorate with icing over the glaze and immediately over the gingerbread, especially if the gingerbread is greased with milk or cream before baking (Hungarian women even say water). The surface becomes smoother.

Liza, and the dough can really be rolled out on silicone without flour. rug? Or will the bottom be uneven from it too?
And the question is already painting. The mesh lines are applied at what distance from each other, then should the mesh be allowed to dry and only then fill the squares?)))
No attachments, I cut off the tip of the bag))

[VictoriaCam]

VictoriaCam, Vika, I just roll out the dough on the countertop, very lightly dusty with flour (one of the photos shows this). I don't use a silicone mat, I can't say anything. But I transfer the rolled and cut workpiece quite easily and without deformation to a baking sheet. So the dough is dusted with flour, then it does not stick at all. Already on a baking sheet I grease with 10% cream or coffee with milk and in the oven for 7 minutes.

About painting. If you are interested in cross-stitch imitation, or like mine in this gingerbread



then the distance between the lines should be a maximum of the thickness of the line, although here is just my first mesh in my life, so it is not very frequent)))

And if you need a grid like this:



then you need to make a coarse grid, and put the points at the intersection of the lines.

It is not necessary to wait for the mesh to dry, but see how it will be more convenient for you and from your hand.

And some of these gingerbread and hawala !!!!

Nah,: girl_in_dreams: well, I don’t play like that. Everyone did it without me ...

When did you manage to do that? Only the recipe appeared? !!!!
Sveta took the recipe from me earlier and has already managed to bake

She manages all that, ahead of the whole planet !!!!!

And if you need a grid like this:

About painting. If you are interested in cross-stitch imitation, or like mine in this gingerbread

Show me where the fainting mice live ...
Well this is how beautiful !!! I have no words!!!! I want a master class !!! For what, they sent me to my darkness by a cockroach. Figs who can you get ...

)))

And if you need a grid like this:

Oh, what are you! Of course, I need it, but I won't even swing until I
I still can't get a thin icing line (((
Thanks for the clarification. True, there is a feeling according to the test that I can’t bear it without deformation - it’s soft, as if. But maybe I'm wrong.
Liza, what difference did you notice between the dough that had been lying in the cold for a week and the dough that had lain overnight - the consistency, the plasticity of the dough, the taste?)))

Liza, what difference did you notice between the dough that had been lying in the cold for a week and the dough that had lain overnight - the consistency, the plasticity of the dough, the taste?)))

I, of course, not Lisa, but I think in taste and consistency ...

[Liza]

Liza, but is such a dough suitable for a gingerbread house?

Liza, baked half a portion, realized that there would be some figs left for painting and a little - the sample with the children was removed)))))) the dough lay warm overnight, kneaded it in the morning, lay until 4 o'clock and went to the oven. I thought a lot of flour would go to dust - the dough seemed like this. But on siliceous rugs I did without flour. The first piece did not lubricate anything at all - neither a rolling pin nor a rug - it rolled out easily, well tolerated. The second piece for some reason began to stick to the rolling pin, I wiped it with flour and rolled it out. It is great to work with ready-made molds. Stencils are more complicated. Somehow the dough was going into an accordion, although I tried to cut it not with the tip of a knife, but with its main part. But maybe my knife is not very sharp. Here. That hasn't said yet. In general, see the photo.

Look, there are several light gingerbreads in the center - judging by the softness, you are writing about them. But when turned over on the table, several pieces stuck - that is, the top was wet. The dough was baked. Which are darker, a little drier, but not critical. But the surface is dry. Which ones are correct? :-)
I also noticed that the thicker the dough is rolled out, the more convex after baking.
Lisa, after all, I have doubts about using it "under the fill" because of the bulge. I saw your gingerbread, where the fill is in the center. How do you fill in completely? Maybe I rolled it thick? Although, as you wrote. And the part is thinner.
And look again at the photo, pzhsta. Still, it was my dough that was soft, or it is - some of the forms “were rounded.” That is, the carved oval is not clear, the house is also not very good. Little people, Christmas trees, socks - approx.

And I forgot about the back surface))

I rolled out the first 4 socks with flour. The first one for some reason in the hole, probably the flour did not get. And the next. three are rocky. I baked them last for testing. And all the rest "in a hole" without flour on silicone.
Now the question. Due to the use of flour, your last gingerbread - the dough for which is collected from already rolled scraps, is not harder? Because from experience with honey cake, I see that the last cakes are harder, because flour is added to them additionally.
Sorry, I don’t use smilies, it’s inconvenient to work with bodies (((

[Victoria]

Victoria, my God, how thoroughly you approached the baking of gingerbread! I didn't bother like that! And to be honest, I really like a slight bulge on the gingerbread)) I dust the table with flour, the underside is all smooth. Baked on paper, stuck on my baking sheet. There were no bubbles at the bottom.

Victoria, my God, how thoroughly you approached baking gingerbread! I didn't bother like that!

Yeah, yeah, she's a maniac .... Here! And she also baked a house, but she does not show it here

[fomca]

fomca, Light, but just Liza wrote that she did not bake on paper due to the fact that the bottom is not even, but even on paper, and I remember that. Ahahaha))
The bulge is certainly not bad. But I got such that icing will take a lot to level the surface. I would like to try everything. The dough is tasty and soft. So I think, as it were, it will stop at it, but so that it would be possible with them "differently": - D

[Matanya]

Matanya, I wanted to embellish it. Now I will lay out what is. But I will not post some of the shameful painted gingerbread. Then I will add all the gingerbread together)

Now I will lay out what is.

Well, well .... we wait, sir

And I am not bothered by the absolutely bulge when painting, it also falls down with a small bulge)))

[fomca]

fomca, Sveta, I'm talking about the fill. I understand that the icing thread can be stretched and it will also be bent. And pour the surface ... I will not guess, Lisa will tell))))