Fairy Gingerbread

By the RecipeCafe Archives

Ingredients

• 0.25 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (200 g) light brown sugar, packed
• 0.25 cup (60 ml) whole milk
• 1 cups (156 g) bread flour
• 2 teaspoons (4 g) ground ginger

Instructions

1. 1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter the outside bottom of a rimmed baking sheet (approximately 13 x 18 inches / 33 x 46 cm), then invert it so the flat, buttered surface faces up. This is the baking surface.
2. 2. Cream the butter: beat the softened butter in a bowl until smooth and pale, 2-3 minutes by hand or 1 minute with a hand mixer.
3. 3. Add the light brown sugar gradually to the butter, mixing until fully incorporated. Then add the whole milk very slowly, a few teaspoons at a time, stirring continuously to keep the mixture from breaking. The finished batter will be thin and fluid.
4. 4. Whisk (mix and sift) the bread flour and ground ginger together in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until just combined and smooth.
5. 5. Using a broad, long-bladed spatula or offset palette knife, spread the batter in an extremely thin, even layer across the entire buttered surface of the inverted pan. The layer should be nearly translucent — roughly 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick.
6. 6. Bake at 350°F (175°C), rotating the pan every 4-5 minutes for even browning. Watch carefully: the cookies are done when the surface is uniformly deep golden brown, the edges are set and just beginning to darken, and the sheet releases a toasted, caramel-ginger fragrance, approximately 12-18 minutes total.
7. 7. If the edges cook faster than the centre, remove the pan from the oven, use a sharp knife or pastry wheel to cut away and lift off the finished outer portion, then return the pan with the remaining unbaked centre to the oven for an additional 3-6 minutes until that portion is equally golden and set.
8. 8. While still warm and pliable (within 1-2 minutes of removal from the oven), cut the sheet into squares of approximately 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm) using a sharp knife or pastry wheel. The cookies will crisp as they cool. Do not wait until fully cooled before cutting — they will shatter.