This afternoon, two of my colleagues from work -- who happen to be not only lawyers, but also Master Gardeners -- generously agreed to stop by the house to give me and Tom some advice about how to care for the plants in our yard. I thought it would be a good opportunity to test a Gingerbread recipe from King Arthur Flour that I've been wanting to try out for a bit. I saw the recipe in one of my regular emails that I receive from KAF, and I was particularly interested that the recipe uses whole grain flour. Also, I was intrigued by the fact that this recipe was "KAF Guaranteed." Apparently the "guaranteed" recipes in the KAF collection have been extensively tested and are "perfect for those of you who have never baked before." And the actual guarantee?We’re convinced it’ll turn out well for you. But if it doesn’t produce a delicious treat, something that matches the guarantee at the top of the recipe, call us. We’ll work with you to find out what happened. And we’ll send you a $5 goodwill gift certificate to our Baker’s Catalogue.I thought I would give the idiot-proof gingerbread a try. And the result? Sigh, apparently this recipe might be great for someone who has never baked before, but it didn't work out for me. The outside perimeter was perfectly baked:
It was moist, and the chunks of crystallized ginger gave it a little extra oomph. It also didn't taste like it was made with whole grain flour, so a big thumbs up on that front. However, the interior part of the gingerbread was a sunken undercooked mess (of course, it sunk only after it cooled a little, so there was no hint anything was wrong when I took it out of the oven):
I am going to try to make this gingerbread again and will bake it a little longer (and chop the crystallized ginger a little more fine). However, even the parts that were baked correctly were not as flavorful and sticky and delicious as the Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread that I usually make. I think this KAF gingerbread definitely needs to be served with some whipped cream or ice cream. However, assuming I can figure out how to get it to turn out, I think it would be nice to throw it into the rotation every once in a while. It's nice to have another whole grain recipe to add to the mix.The entire afternoon was a bit of a mixed bag. Apparently most of the yard is in pretty good shape, but we have English ivy running rampant in several places that needs to be conquered. And to my Master Gardeners: thanks for coming by, and I wish I could have rewarded you with something better than some sub-optimal gingerbread!
Recipe: Gingerbread from King Arthur Flour.
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