| Yorkshire Comfort Food (Comment) | Yorkshire Parkin Recipe 3 |
| Basic Gingerbread | Parkin Recipe 1 |
| Yorkshire Parkin Recipe 1 | Parkin Recipe 2 |
| Yorkshire Parkin Recipe 2 | Sponge Pudding |
From Mrs. Beeton's
BASIC GINGERBREAD RECIPE
- OR
- flour and oatmeal/1/4 teaspoon salt
Shortening:
- 4-8 oz/1/4 to 1/2 US cup fat (butter, margarine, lard)
- Sweetening:
- 4-6 oz./1/2 to 3/4 US cup sugar
- OR
- syrup OR treacle up to 8 fl. oz.
- Raising agent:
- 1-2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
- 2-6 eggs
- Flavourings:
- 2-4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2-4 teaspoons cinnamon OR mixed spice
- 1/2 lb. crystallised ginger, sultanas [golden raisins]/dates/almonds
Liquid: Milk or water--usually to make a thick pouring consistency,
but this amount depends on the amount of liquefying ingredients
such as treacle, syrup and fat.
Sieve the flour, soda and ginger; add the other dry ingredients
and the fat and mix well. Make a well in the centre and pour in
the warmed treacle and [then] beaten egg. Mix and add enough milk
to give a fairly stiff consistency. Pour into a well-greased baking
tin and bake in a moderate oven (350 F, mark 4) for about 1-1/2
hours. Cool
in the tin then cut into squares when cold.
The parkin, which will keep moist for a considerable time in an
airtight tin, should not be eaten until 24 hours after baking.
Gingerbread was one of the oldest English cakes and was baked
for fairs, and for special holidays.
Susan Reddy
Parkin: A moist ginger cake usually served cut in squares. It
originated in Yorkshire, where oatmeal is always used in its preparation.
UK teaspoons are about half the size of US teaspoons, so in USA
use about half the amount given for ginger, cinnamon & baking
soda.
Heat the oven to 300 degrees F. or gas mark 1.
Melt the fat. Add the syrup, treacle & sugar & warm over
a very low heat till the sugar begins to dissolve, avoid overheating
the mixture, keeping the saucepan warm rather than hot. Sieve
the dry ingredients, make a well in the centre & gradualy
beat in the liquid from the saucepan & the beaten egg. Mix
to a soft consistency, adding a little milk if required. Pour
into a greased flat tin so that the mixture is 1 inch in depth.
Bake for 1 hour in a cool oven (300 degrees,or mark 1) and partly
cool it in the tin, then turn out to finish cooling. Serve the
parkin cut into squares. If you can't find black treacle - use
molasses it's similar. Some overseas grocery stores do sell Tate
& Lyles Golden Syrup (a UK product). If it's not available,
pancake syrup is probably the closest thing to it, but the taste
will not be the same, Golden Syrup is made from cane sugar not
corn syrup.
If in doubt, bake for 5 minutes less, it tastes awful if burnt !
Best wishes, Susan.
YORKSHIRE PARKIN Recipe 3
Found with my late mother in law's things.
Both her parents were from Yorkshire
From CHERYL HODGES
Rub butter into oatmeal, add ginger and sugar.
Melt treacle.
Dissolve soda in milk.
Mix everything together.
Line baking tin with well greased paper and pour in mixture.
Bake in a low to moderate oven for 1/2 - 3/4 hour.
Recipe for parkin as requested, found in my mothers old cookery
notebook, copied exactly - she knew what she meant by slow oven
- I
don't. [Ed's note - about 300?]
Bake 1 hour in slow oven. (275-300 degrees, check at 45 mins.)
