Gingerbread Days

If you google "gingerbread" looking for a recipe, the first umpteen dozen hits will be recipes for gingerbread men or gingerbread houses, but I've had a hankering lately for good, old-fashioned, moist, and spicy ginger bread.  The girls are away with Dominic at choir practice this afternoon, so it's just me and the boys, and I wanted a simple recipe that the boys could help make. No cookie cutters, no piped frosting, thank-you.  Nothing that fancy -- or messy.We hunted the internet again, using the key words "gingerbread loaf," and this is what we found:

Simple Goodness Ginger Bread

What to Get...

Not this kind of gingerbread...
At least not this time around.

• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot water

What to Do...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan. (We used a traditional, 9" loaf pan)
2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the egg, and mix in the molasses.
3. In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Blend into the creamed mixture. Stir in the hot water. Pour into the prepared pan.
4. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan before serving.  
5. Make a simple honey butter spread by whipping together one stick (1/4 lbs) softened butter and 1/4 cup 
6. honey. Slather it on and enjoy!  

William gives it an enthusiastic thumbs-up!  

*  Recipe found here.