Gingerbread production.

The production of this type of flour confectionery is especially widely developed in our country. Products like gingerbread with honey were produced in our country even when sugar was not used or had very limited use. And nowadays honey is widely used as one of the raw materials in the production of gingerbread. In many cities of our country, they specialized in the development of branded, local varieties of gingerbread. This was the basis for the name of some of their species: "Tula". "Vyazemsky", etc.

Gingerbread comes from the adjective spicy (Old Russian пъпърянъ), which, in turn, is formed from the word pepper (Old Russian пъпъръ), meaning spices, seasonings. The names of the gingerbread have the same meaning in other languages: fr. pain d "épice, Spanish pan pepato (lit. pepperbread), German Pfefferkuchen, Dutch peperkoek, Norwegian pepperkake, Swedish pepparkaka, Finn piparkakku (peppercake).

Gingerbread - flour confectionery products of various shapes, mainly round with a convex surface, containing a significant amount of sugar substances, molasses, honey and various flavoring additives, including various spices. The gingerbread group also includes gingerbreads, which are a baked semi-finished product made of gingerbread dough, sandwiched with fruit filling or jam, having a rectangular shape. Depending on the method of production, there are two types of gingerbread: custard and raw. In addition, all types of gingerbread can be produced with or without filling. Gingerbread cookies are available with different external finishes: glazed sugar syrup with and without additives, chocolate glaze. sprinkling with sugar, poppy seeds, kernels of nuts.

Gingerbread production schemes

Gingerbread production consists of the following stages:

• preparation of flour for production;
• preparation of sugar and treacle and circulating syrups, saline solution; melting fat;
• kneading dough;
• molding;
• baking;
• replication;
• cooling gingerbread;
• packing.

Large enterprises produce gingerbread cookies with and without filling on production lines.

Mechanized production line for the production of gingerbread.

The line includes prescription-mixing complexes for the preparation of syrups and dough, a forming machine, an oven, a drawing drum, a cooler, a filling machine. Flour and liquid components are dosed into the dough-mixing machine. After kneading, the dough is fed into the hopper of the roll forming machine, which deposits the dough pieces on baking sheets or on the conveyor belt of the tunnel oven. From the oven, the gingerbread cookies are unloaded onto a transverse one and are cooled on a conveyor from a temperature of 103-105 to 45-50 ° C and are fed into a drawing drum, into which sugar syrup is fed. Sugar syrup is prepared in a mixer, where sifted granulated sugar from a sifter and water are loaded. Boiled to the required concentration, the syrup is dosed into the rotating drawing drum. The gingerbread cookies are covered with syrup and unloaded onto a conveyor for drying the gingerbread. Dried gingerbread cookies are cooled on cradles in a multi-tiered refrigerator, and then served for packaging.

A mechanized production line for the production of gingerbread with a filling.

The production of filled gingerbread consists of the following main operations: kneading dough, forming dough pieces with filling, baking, finishing, drying and packing into containers.

A portion of the sifted flour is poured into the kneading machine, and the dispenser / feeds a liquid mixture: sugar syrup, molasses, margarine, vegetable oil, ammonium carbonate and essence, measured in a certain amount and mixed in an emulsifier. After kneading, the dough is fed into a forming machine. The resulting dough pieces with filling from the machine are unloaded onto the oven conveyor or onto baking sheets. The baked gingerbread cookies are cooled, glazed in a drawing drum, and then dried and sent for packing and delivery to the expedition.

Mechanized production line for the production of Tula gingerbread.

The sifted flour is dosed into the kneading machine, where granulated sugar and honey are supplied in the form of a liquid mixture. fat and other components. The finished dough is directed by an inclined conveyor to the dough divider. The pieces of dough are transferred by a conveyor to the first rolling out into the machine. The rolled dough on metal baking sheets goes to the tables, where the workers apply a layer of filling on one half of the layer of dough, and the other half of the filling is covered from above and transferred to the second rolling machine. The rolled double layer of dough with the filling inside is fed under the rotor of the forming machine, which also performs longitudinal cutting. Cross cutting of workpieces is done manually on tables. The formed gingerbread cookies are laid out on stencils and sent for baking in an oven with a cooling device. The baked gingerbread is placed on tables and covered with sugar syrup. Chilled gingerbread cookies are removed from the nets and transferred to packaging.

Dough preparation

Gingerbread dough is a homogeneous mass of viscous consistency. When kneading, flour with medium quality gluten is used. Gingerbread dough contains a significant amount of sugar, which limits the swelling of the flour gluten. Thanks to this, the dough acquires a loose and at the same time viscous consistency. For kneading the dough, machines of various designs are used: drum with U-shaped blades, universal with Z-shaped blades.

Kneading machine for tough dough HWH, HWJ

Kneading dough for raw gingerbread.

The raw materials provided by the recipe are weighed and loaded into a kneading machine in the following sequence: sugar (sugar syrup), water, honey. molasses, invert syrup, fat, melange, essence, dry perfume, leavening agents and last but not least flour. If sugar is introduced in the form of a sugar syrup prepared in advance, the kneading process is carried out in two stages. First, all raw materials without flour and baking powder are mixed for 1-2 minutes, and then, after the introduction of baking powder and flour, they are mixed for another 5-I2 minutes. The duration of the kneading is regulated depending on the air temperature in the workshop, the water temperature, the rotation speed and the capacity of the kneading machine. At elevated air temperature in the workshop and water temperature, as well as the speed of the kneading units, the duration of the kneading is reduced. With an increase in the capacity of the kneading machine and, accordingly, the mass of the load, the duration of the kneading increases. The kneading is stopped when the mass in the kneader becomes homogeneous with a uniform distribution of all raw materials. The disintegrants are introduced in the form of an aqueous solution, which is prepared in advance. Semi-finished products, the preparation of which is associated with heating (sugar and invert syrup, burnt), before being introduced into the kneading machine, cool to a temperature not higher than 20 ° C. Water should also not have a temperature higher than 20 ° C. Temperature finished dough in all cases should not exceed 20-22 ° С, and humidity should be within 23.5-25.5%. The increased temperature of the dough leads to its tightening - a process in which the flour gluten, interacting with water, gives the dough elastic properties. As a result, the shape of the products is disturbed. When making dough for gingerbread "Tulskie" and "Vyazemskie", sugar-honey syrup is prepared, it is cooled to 30-35 ° C and all raw materials, including flour, are kneaded for 30-40 minutes. The final dough temperature should be 27-28 ° C, and the humidity is only 18-20%. In order to lengthen the shelf life of raw gingerbread, when kneading, instead of sugar, invert syrup or artificial honey is used and 50% wheat flour replace with rye. When kneading, in this case, invert syrup or artificial honey is heated to a temperature of 90-92 ° C and introduced into a kneading machine, where it is stirred until the temperature drops to 30-35 ° C. After that, wheat and rye flour are introduced and mixed 25 min., and then the dough is kneaded with the rest of the raw materials. The total kneading time is more than 60 minutes. and the moisture content of the dough is only 15-16%.

Kneading dough for custard gingerbread.

Kneading is carried out in three phases: flour brewing, brewing cooling and brewing kneading with all components of the recipe. The preparation of the tea leaves is carried out as follows. The syrup is prepared first. For this, the components of the recipe containing sugar (sugar, molasses, honey) are loaded into the digester. Water is introduced in the amount necessary to obtain a brew with a humidity of 19-20 ° / and, and everything is heated to a temperature of "70-75 ° C. In this case, all the sugar should go into solution. The resulting hot syrup is loaded into a kneading machine with a water jacket, cooled somewhat, not lower than 68 ° C and gradually, with stirring, introduce flour intended for making tea leaves. After 10-15 minutes, the welding is ready. It should not contain lumps and traces of impurities. It is better to cool the tea leaves directly in the kneading machine. But for this, the kneading machine must to have a water jacket, and the workshop has a sufficient number of kneading machines. Cooling is carried out without unloading the tea leaves from the machine. The water jacket is connected to cold air. In low-mechanized workshops, the tea leaves are unloaded from the kneading machine into special chests. Each layer is poured with crumbs or each layer is lubricated with vegetable oil and cooled to a temperature of 25-27 С. oductions High Quality... If the tea leaves are not cooled enough, the gingerbread will be dense and irregular in shape. When the tea leaves are cooled in a kneading machine, already at a temperature of 28-30 ° C, the rest of the raw material is introduced into the tea leaves and kneaded for only 10 minutes. The tea leaves, which are not cooled in a kneading machine, are mixed with the rest of the raw materials for a longer time (30-60 minutes). The temperature of poi and unloading from the car should be 29-30 ° C. and humidity 20-22%.

Shaping, baking and finishing gingerbread

When molding, in addition to giving the dough a certain shape, in some types of gingerbread, a drawing or an inscription is applied to the surface. The bulk of the gingerbread is formed on the FPL machine. Most of the forming machines can be purchased from the equipment supplier LLC "Trading House Borodinsky". The dough to be formed enters the hopper. In the lower suit of the funnel, two injection rolls, rotating one towards the other, push the dough through the dies. Dies have holes of various shapes... The dough in the form of bundles is cut into separate pieces by a moving string. The formed blanks are transferred to the stencils moving along a special conveyor. When baking not on stencils, but on a steel belt, a similar machine is used, which deposits the formed dough pieces directly onto the steel belt of the oven. For the mechanized production of molded dough pieces of gingerbread with filling, a special machine is used. This machine can also shape dough pieces for gingerbread without filling. This increases the productivity of the machine.

"FPL-7" molding machine for the production of gingerbread with laying on a sheet FPL-8 molding machine for the production of gingerbread and biscuits with stacking on the bottom of the oven Jigging and batching mini machine ODMM-1 "Kolibri" with string cutting

Some types of gingerbread are molded using various shapes (metal and wood). Gingerbread cookies molded into wooden forms are called printed ones. Such gingerbread cookies are mainly intended for children, so the shapes have the outlines of birds, fish and various animals. When forming such gingerbread cookies, the dough is pressed manually or with the help of special wooden blocks into a wooden form, which is a board with an engraved pattern or inscription. The resulting dough piece is removed from the mold, placed on a metal sheet and sent to baking. When making a gingerbread with a filling, wooden molds are used, consisting of two parts. One part of the form, on which a drawing or inscription is engraved, forms the upper part of the gingerbread, and the other part of the form without a drawing or inscription forms the lower part of the gingerbread.

The molding process is carried out as follows. On the molded dough without a pattern and inscription, put the filling and cover with the molded dough with a pattern and inscription, and then the edges of the two halves of the gingerbread are squeezed like this. so that the filling does not leak out. When making gingerbread with a filling of the "Tulskie" type, molding with wooden stencils is used. The rolled dough with a thickness of 5-6 mm should have dimensions twice the length of the stencil. Half of the layer is smeared with an even layer of filling and covered with the other half of the layer, then the edges are squeezed with fingers so that they stick together. A stencil is a wooden board of a certain size, along the edges of which are engraved various drawings, and in the middle is the name of the gingerbread. A layer of dough with a filling is placed on the engraved surface of the stencil, which is lightly greased with vegetable oil, and pressed with a hand and a wooden block. After that, with a light blow of the stencil on the table, the molded dough is freed from the mold. The dough for mats is formed by rolling into a layer. The thickness of the blank for the rugs is 11-13 mm. The rolled layer is cut into strips, placed on sheets and sent to baking.For baking gingerbread, continuous conveyor ovens are most often used. Baking is made on stencils, steel tape or mesh. Gas or electric heating is used. Before baking, the surface of some varieties of gingerbread is greased with eggs and a pattern is applied. The surface of the rugs is lubricated cold water and pierced in several places to prevent swelling of the upper crust. The baking mode for raw gingerbread is 7-12 minutes at a temperature of 220-240C. At the same time, deviations are allowed for some types of raw gingerbread. For example, "Mint" type gingerbread cookies are baked at a lower temperature (190-210 ° C). This mode is adopted in order to avoid the appearance of a dark color on their Surface. Gingerbreads of the "Autumn" type are baked at a higher temperature (250 ° C) and for a longer time. For gingerbreads like "Tulskie" it is recommended for baking even more heat(265-270 ° C), but the baking time is reduced to 5-6 minutes. Custard gingerbread baked for 7-12 minutes at a temperature of 210-220 ° C, gingerbreads - 25-40 minutes at a temperature of 180-200 C. When baking gingerbread, basically the same processes take place as when baking cookies. Significant increase in duration and relatively low baking temperatures compared to baking temperatures sugar cookies associated with the increased thickness of the dough pieces used in the manufacture of gingerbread. The baking time can be changed depending on the moisture content of the dough pieces, the oven temperature and the degree of filling. The baking process can be roughly divided into three periods. During the first period, which lasts approximately 1 min, moisture is not removed from the sample. The surface temperature of the layer reaches 60 ° C, while the central layers rise by only 2-3 ° C. The second baking period is characterized by a variable rate of moisture release. During this period, the surface of the layers is dehydrated. The moisture flow is directed towards the interior of the sample. The third baking period is a period of constant moisture-yielding rate. The moisture content of the central layers does not change, and dehydration occurs from the surface layers. By the end of baking, the temperature of the surface layer reaches 175 ° C, and the central layers - slightly above 100 ° C. After baking, the gingerbread cookies are cooled for 20-22 minutes to a temperature of 40-45 ° C. When baking on steel nets or belts, cooling is carried out without removal, directly on these surfaces. Removal occurs only when the products are easily detached from the mesh or steel strap. When baking on stencil sheets (after leaving the oven), they are installed together with the products on whatnots or fixed racks. After such pre-cooling, the products are easily removed and fed to the final cooling. In the process of cooling the gingerbread, their moisture content is significantly reduced. This process slows down as the temperature decreases. Most types of gingerbread must be finished. Gingerbread finishing is understood to be the coating of the surface with a layer of glaze. As a result, the surface of the gingerbread is covered with a glossy, marble-like crust of crystallized sugar. cooling, the surface of the gingerbread takes on a shine from the sugar crystallized from the syrup. A layer of sugar helps to preserve freshness, inhibits staleness, in addition, after glazing, the taste of the gingerbread also improves. (40 parts) with heating up to 110-114 C. Processing in a dragee boiler is carried out for 1-2 minutes. Then the gingerbread cookies are unloaded and dried at a temperature of about 60 C. The drying time is 9-10 minutes. After that, it is additionally cooled by blowing with air. At mechanized enterprises, gingerbread is glazed in continuous units. This unit is a drum rotating on a horizontal axis, inside of which gingerbread cookies and syrup with a temperature of 90-95 ° C are continuously fed. When the drum rotates, the gingerbread cookies doused with sugar syrup move inside the drum to the inlet. The duration of the process is up to 50 s. After cooling, the surface of the gingerbread takes on a luster from the sugar crystallized from the syrup. The sugar layer contributes to the preservation of freshness, inhibits staling, in addition, after glazing, the taste of the gingerbread also improves.

In Russia, there were three types of gingerbread, which got their name from the technology of their production.

it gingerbread(they are made from dough, just like toys from clay), a printed gingerbread (they are made using a gingerbread board, or "gingerbread", in the form of a relief imprint on the dough) and silhouette(cut or cut) gingerbread (for their manufacture, either a cardboard template is used, or stamp from a tin strip, with the help of which the silhouette of the future gingerbread is cut out of the rolled dough).

Stucco gingerbread

Special view gingerbread production, they came to us from pagan Russia. Their appearance in the form of ritual bread is associated with the pagan ideas of the ancient Slavs, who realized their dependence on natural phenomena (rain, snow, hail, drought), giving or destroying crops, which determined for them a respectful attitude towards nature, and towards the numerous gods who personified her strength.

To deserve the mercy of the gods and their protection, sacrificial gifts were brought to each of them - bulls, rams, deer, roosters. With the adoption of Christianity, pagan worldviews were adapted to new religious requirements.
The sacrifices were also transformed, the bloody sacrifices of animals were replaced by their sculptural images of clay, wood and dough. The possession of these ritual figurines made of dough was that pictorial beginning, which, centuries later, will pass to what we call “gingerbread”.

No less ancient history than the stucco "kozuli", have the so-called "teters" or "vitushki", which are still made on the Mezen and in Kargopol.

These gingerbread cookies, unique in their molding technique and shape, are baked from rye dough rolled in the form of thin flagella, turning into animal figures or spiral geometric figures close to solar signs and ornaments of relic cultural monuments.

The wide variety of rituals of Russian life was matched by the variety of gingerbread products. So, for example, small gingerbread cookies in the form of pets, birds, animals were baked for children, with traditional New Year themes, as a gift to the bride and the young lady they gave a gingerbread in the form of a basket of flowers, a heart, kissing doves, swans, peacocks with appropriate inscriptions: “ A sign of love ”,“ A sign of fidelity ”,“ A sign of memory ”,“ A sign of friendship ”,“ To whom I love, to that I give ”,“ On the day of an angel ”.

On the occasion of big celebrations, special gingerbread cookies were baked, which were called "tray" or "healthy". They not only amazed with their size (from 50 cm to 1 m or more) and weight (from 5 to 15 pounds, and in some cases up to 1 pound), but also stood out for their special sophistication and complexity of the drawing, as well as the high style of the dedicatory inscriptions like, for example, “From all my conscience I give your mercy” or “Hail, Russian two-headed eagle, you are now glorious all over the world”.

Double-headed eagle, tent-roofed towers, figures of lions, unicorns, sturgeons, Sirin birds - these are the most popular plots of "tray" gingerbread... Considering the weight and size of the “custom-made” gingerbread, they were delivered on horseback with extreme caution, since it was not an easy task to deliver such a gingerbread without breaking it on the way.

Gingerbread printed

It is made using a gingerbread board, or "gingerbread", as a relief imprint on the dough. Its beauty and quality largely depended on the master who made the gingerbread board. In the old days, such craftsmen were called "denominators".

The most popular motifs for boards for "tray" gingerbread were a double-headed eagle with attributes of royal distinction, fabulous towers with hipped roofs, crowned with double-headed eagles or flags ("mansion" or "teat"), complex decorative compositions saturated with floral ornaments, birds of paradise, flowers , as well as images of lions, leopards, birds Sirin and Alkonost. The cost of "tray" boards and gingerbread was very high, because their "exclusivity" and targeted dedication did not allow them to be replicated. Gingerbread cakes from type-setting boards were small with a simple, unpretentious pattern and cheap, for which they got the name - "pennies".

Linden was considered the favorite material of wood carvers, but in the manufacture of gingerbread boards, preference was still given to harder types of wood: maple, walnut, pear, and most often birch. Planks of these species were durable, the edges of the carving did not "fill up", respectively, and the pattern of gingerbread long time remained clear.
They appeared relatively recently. The first mention of them dates back to 1850, but by the beginning of the twentieth century silhouette gingerbread cookies became the most widespread and popular due to their decorative qualities.

Their wide distribution, especially in Central Russia, also predetermined the variety of artistic solutions: soft, linear pattern that fills the plane of the gingerbread, and is not associated with its shape - on "cutting" gingerbread from Voronezh, bright red colors sugar glaze and pasted pieces of gold leaf on a light background - on gingerbread from Putivl, the original use of down and dyed bird feathers - on painted gingerbread Novokhopersk.

Gingerbread dough production method are divided into custard (with flour welding) and raw (without flour welding); on type of flour- products from wheat flour of the highest, 1st and 2nd grades from a mixture rye flour and wheat 1st and 2nd grades; on surface finish- glazed and unglazed; without filling, with filling (fruit filling is introduced into the dough layer, into incised baked gingerbread, some varieties of small gingerbread are glued together with the filling); on shape and size- small (of various shapes with the number of pieces in 1 kg from 30 or more), large (of various shapes with the number of pieces in 1 kg less than 30), gingerbreads (in the form of whole rectangular beds or cut into pieces).

Custard gingerbread is produced mainly glazed. Wheat flour top grade mint gingerbread cookies are prepared - Nevsky (with the addition of 23% margarine), Novost (with the addition of margarine and eggs), etc.; from wheat flour of the 1st grade - Voronezh (with the addition of margarine and vegetable oil), Leningradskie (with the addition of honey, margarine, vegetable oil and cocoa powder), Honey (honey in them at least 20%), Quiet Don (with the addition of apple powder), etc.; from flour of the 2nd grade-Karelian (with vegetable oil and nuts), Caramel (with caramel crumbs), gingerbread Yuzhnaya (with filling) and Mostovaya (without filling), etc. From a mixture of rye and wheat flour 1 and 2- These varieties are produced by Aromatic, Friendship, Union, Sports, Tea, etc. gingerbread.

Raw gingerbread cookies are produced glazed and unglazed. Unglazed gingerbread is made from premium flour with the addition of various flavors small size- Mint, Vanilla, Lemon, Baby (glazed, with filling and pattern on the surface); from flour of the 1st grade - glazed gingerbread cookies in the form of fish, horses, birds, as well as with fruit filling - Vyazemsky, Tula, Nizhny Novgorod, Autumn (with the addition soy flour), Lviv (with margarine, poppy seeds), Piquant and Surprise (based on cheese whey), from 2nd grade flour - Dnieper (glazed), Yuzhny (unglazed).

Assessment of the quality of gingerbread

The form gingerbread should be regular, convex and non-vague, correspond to each product name.

Surface- dry, even, without cracks, swellings and burns; for gingerbreads glazed and trimmed with eggs, kernels of nuts, poppy seeds, should not have bare spots, and for unglazed ones, the surface may be mesh.

Colour- raw gingerbread - from white to cream, custard - brown. View on a break - gingerbread should be well-baked, with well-developed porosity, without hardening, traces of impurities and voids.

Taste and smell- inherent fresh gingerbread with a pronounced aroma; fruit filling without burnt aftertaste. The thickness of the gingerbread should be from 18 to 20 mm, the gingerbread in each layer should be no more than 30 mm.

Humidity gingerbread should be (in%, no more): without filling - 15, with filling - 16, gingerbread - 24, sugar content - 30-61; fat- no more than 27% depending on the recipe. Alkalinity in all types of gingerbread should be no more than 2 °.

Packaging and storage of gingerbread

For packing gingerbreads weighing up to 1000 g, cardboard boxes with a net weight of 12 to 20 kg, corrugated cardboard boxes or plank boxes are used. Gingerbreads are placed in a container in rows on the edge or in bulk; gingerbread with filling, gingerbreads - flat. The container inside is lined on all sides with wrapping material (parchment, cellophane, waxed paper).

Technological schemes gingerbread production

Depending on the technology for preparing the dough, gingerbread cookies are divided into custard and raw. Each of these products can be produced with or without filling, glazed and unglazed. Technological process the preparation of gingerbread consists of the following operations: preparation of raw materials for production; dough preparation; molding; bakery; cooling; glazing (for glazed gingerbread); packaging, labeling, transportation and storage

Gingerbread should be stored at a temperature of 18 ° C and a relative humidity of 65-75%. The most common storage defect in gingerbread is drying out and staleness. Gingerbreads, losing moisture, become hard. Custard gingerbreads, which are formulated with molasses and honey, undergo these changes more slowly than raw ones. When the relative humidity of the air rises during storage, the gingerbread cookies can become humid and moldy.

Guaranteed shelf life of gingerbread (per day, no more): raw unglazed - 20, raw glazed - 30, custard - 30-45.

Defects gingerbread

Cracks, depressions, swelling, deformation, burntness, hardening, places not covered with glaze are the result of a violation of production technology.

Staling and drying occurs with low air humidity, packaging defects.

Foreign tastes and odors are the result of non-compliance with the conditions of the commodity neighborhood during storage.

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Cakes and pastries

Cakes and pastries are rich in fat, sugar, eggs, in addition to flour. They include fruits, nuts, chocolate and other raw materials.

The production of cakes and pastries consists of the following main operations: production of baked and finishing semi-finished products and artistic finishing of baked semi-finished products.

Cooking baked semi-finished products includes kneading and shaping dough, baking, cooling and preparing them for finishing.

Baked semi-finished products depending on the recipe and cooking characteristics, they are subdivided into biscuit, puff, sand, custard, protein-whipped, almond, crumb, waffle.

Finishing semi-finished products give the products taste and aroma, more attractive appearance... The main finishing semi-finished product is a cream, which is a fluffy foamy mass obtained by churning high-quality raw materials - butter, milk, cream or sour cream, powdered sugar, eggs. In addition to the significant air content, the cream must have plasticity, form a relief pattern when finishing the surface; it is used for interlayer layers, filling baked custard semi-finished products. Depending on the composition, oil creams are distinguished - from butter; on powdered sugar or condensed milk; with milk and eggs (Charlotte); on eggs (Glasses); on milk-sugar syrup (New). At the end of churning, flavoring and aromatic additives are added to the creams - vanilla powder, cognac or strong dessert wine. When these flavors are replaced by others (fruit juices and syrups, cocoa powder, coffee, roasted nuts, ground with sugar), respectively oil creams- apricot (with the addition apricot syrup), pineapple (with canned pineapple), New chocolate (with cocoa powder), New coffee (with coffee syrup), etc.

Defects in cakes and pastries

Foreign tastes and odors (greasiness, rancidity, sludge, etc.) occur when storage conditions are violated or poor-quality raw materials are used. Graying chocolate glaze... Peeling of fondant glaze occurs upon impact. Burning and baking is the result of a violation of the baking technology. Foreign inclusions are a consequence of a violation of the preparation of raw materials.

Assortment of cakes and pastries

Cakes. Unlike cakes, they are larger and more complex in finishes. Mass-produced cakes are produced according to approved recipes weighing from 250 g to 2 kg. According to the recipes, developed directly at the enterprises for individual orders of the consumer, they produce letter and figured cakes weighing up to 5 kg. They are distinguished by a sophisticated finish; curly chocolate is used to decorate them. The assortment of cakes is extensive due to the variety of finishing and baked semi-finished products used.

Sponge cakes are the most common. They are made from lush biscuit dough mixed with flour and whipped with an egg-sugar mixture. Layers of a porous semi-finished product are cut lengthwise into two parts, impregnated with sugar syrup, for some types of cakes - with sugar syrup with the addition of cognac, then sandwiched with finishing semi-finished products and processed the surface. The following cakes are produced: Biscuit, Fairy Tale, Coffee, Truffle, Moskvichka - without syrup impregnation, sandwiched with jam, the surface is covered with a jelly-fruit mixture and sprinkled with roasted crushed nuts; Enchantress - layered with a mass of soufflé (knocked down butter with a sugar-protein mixture and flavored with vanillin, alcohol, citric acid are added), glazed with chocolate glaze.

Sand cakes made from plastic dough containing a large number of fat, eggs, sugar, and chemical; baking powder. The baked semi-finished product is trimmed with lipstick, cream, fruit. Sand cakes are produced in the following names: Apricotin, Sand-fruit, Lilac, Lily of the valley, etc.

Almond and nut cakes- Ideal, Bolshoi Theater, Kievsky, In Flight, etc. are prepared by grinding almonds or nuts, sugar and a small amount of flour and egg whites. Before baking, the dough is formed by settling with a syringe and the surface is moistened with water. A layer of semi-finished product is made from whipped cream, praline, fruit filling; surface finish is varied.

Waffle cakes- Surprise, Peanuts, Chocolate-waffle, etc. consist of several fragile wafer sheets, sandwiched and covered with various finishing semi-finished products, crumbs or shaped chocolate.

Curly and lettering cakes complex shape and with various finishes: a shell with mushrooms, crayfish in a basket, a barrel of wine, luniki, etc.

Cakes. These are small products of various shapes and finishes. On average, the mass of cakes ranges from 55 to 90 g. The assortment of cakes, like cakes, is distinguished by recipe, type of dough and external design.

Biscuits and shortbread cakes made from the same dough as cakes. Sponge cakes - Sponge cakes with cream, Amateur, Boucher, etc. After kneading, the dough for shortbread cakes is rolled, molded from a layer of products in the form of a ring, a crescent, a basket, etc., and then baked and trimmed - Shortbread with cream, Ring, Mushroom, Cream basket, etc.

Custard cakes prepared by boiling flour with strong gluten in boiling water, adding butter, salt and then beating with an egg. The dough is formed by the method of jigging. When baking, an internal cavity is formed in the semi-finished product, which is filled with a filling with a syringe; the surface is glazed with sugar fondant or sprinkled with crumbs and powdered sugar. These cakes include Eclair, Custard, Butter Ring, etc.

Airy (protein-whipped) cakes obtained by churning protein with sugar. The mass is formed by jigging and baked at a temperature of 110-135 ° C; an increase in temperature during baking makes the surface of the semi-finished product dark and a “stringy crumb” is formed. Pastries are baked under the names Tube with chocolate cream, Lotus, Fungus, etc.

Puff pastries- products, the base of which consists of thin layers of dough, easily separated from each other. The dough for them is prepared with a high fat content, without chemical leavening agents, with a layer of fruit filling or cream, or without pro

puffs: Puff with cream, Puff with apple filling, Horn, Puff tube with cream, etc.

Sugar cake baked from dough with a high sugar content. The hot baked layer is quickly rolled up into a cone-shaped or cylindrical tube, which is filled with cream. Such a cake is a tube with butter cream.

Kroshkovoe the cake is prepared from a mixture of crushed scraps of cakes and pastries obtained by molding them with the addition of butter and cocoa powder. The cake is produced under the names Potato, Amateur.

The history of gingerbread goes back millennia - the first mentions date back to several centuries BC. Even in the heyday of Ancient Egypt, the prototypes of modern gingerbread - honey cakes - were held in high esteem by the population and had ritual significance, acting as an offering to the gods. In Russia, this sweetness was highly respected long before baptism among pagan tribes. It was prepared with the image of fish, birds, animals, flowers, plants and mythical characters.

In the end, the gingerbread cookies managed to go through the centuries without losing their former popularity.

There are variations of this product great amount, and it is simply impossible to list everything within one article. Therefore, we will restrict ourselves to only one classification.

According to production technology, there are three categories of gingerbread:

1. Printed. For their manufacture, special boards are needed, with the help of which a beautiful embossed impression is made on the surface of the gingerbread. Planks used to be hand-carved from certain types of wood and were expensive. And the masters of such a craft enjoyed special honor and respect.
2. Stucco. They were distributed throughout the territory of Russia more than a thousand years before the present day and were made by hand, acting as sacred offerings to the forces of nature and to numerous gods. The manufacturing technology was complex and intricate. It was based on rye flour, water, salt and all kinds of ingredients such as berries and herbs. The products were baked according to special recipes, then dipped in boiling water, after which they were covered with images of deer, grouses, goats, cows, horses, deer and various solar signs. Today it is very difficult to find such delicacies, and their cost is quite high.
3. Cutout (silhouette). The youngest variety, which first appeared only at the end of the 19th century. But thanks to the outstanding decorative and taste, by now have become the most popular and widespread. Carved gingerbread cookies are usually decorated with icing, special cream and various food colors. The most striking examples are the famous Tula gingerbread and Arkhangelsk roe.

Composition

Modern gingerbread usually contain natural honey, egg yolk, milk, water.

All kinds of additives and spices are not excluded: cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, nutmeg, ginger, anise, allspice, lemon zest, vanilla.

Another common ingredient in modern gingerbread is burnt sugar and molasses, which give the confection a special flavor.

Used as a filling: jam, jams, nuts, dried fruits, etc.

Good protein content this product does not differ (no more than 5 g per 100 g of weight).

The calorie content of ordinary store-bought gingerbread ranges from 310 to 350 kcal. See the table for details.

Calorie table

What are good for health

The beneficial properties of the delicacy directly depend on the composition. And if you do not want to harm your own health, you will have to cook it yourself, selecting only natural ingredients for these purposes.

Small amounts of gingerbread cookies with honey will benefit both children and adults. The benefits of bee honey for human body we have already written several times:

• promotes the release of mood-lifting endorphins into the blood;
• activates the body's protective reserves (increases immunity);
• contains high doses of vitamins E, C and B;
• possesses bactericidal properties;
• slows down the aging process;
• improves metabolism;
• improves digestion;
• prevents the development of such a serious ailment as sclerosis.

Rye flour is used in classic recipe Russian gingerbread. Considered healthier than wheat white flour... Promotes bowel cleansing and normalizes the digestive system.

Fillers in the form of berries and fruits saturate with vitamins and essential microelements. Most of these fillings contain B vitamins, which are responsible for the correct functioning of the nervous system, ascorbic acid, which helps to increase immunity, and provitamin A, which is necessary for the construction of new cells and their regeneration. Gingerbread with fruit and berry fillings strengthen blood vessels, stimulate the process of hematopoiesis and support the normal functioning of the musculoskeletal system.

Ginger, which is found in many gingerbread recipes, brings great benefit human health comparable to. In addition, it copes with the task of reducing nervous tension, stimulates brain activity, removes toxins, toxins and reduces the likelihood of blood clots.

Raisins are another frequent guest of the modern gingerbread recipe. It contains all kinds of vitamins and trace elements (magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iron, sodium and potassium). Eating these dried fruits benefits the kidneys, intestines and nervous system... And due to the high iron content in combination with B vitamins, dried grapes are an effective prophylactic agent in the fight against anemia.

Harm and contraindications

Gingerbread cookies made from natural ingredients have only one negative side, namely high calorie content, which is good for active children and people involved in sports. But adult lovers of sweets, leading a more measured life, should be aware that due to the high content of easily digestible carbohydrates, an excessive passion for a delicacy can harm the figure. Such carbohydrates are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and "deposited" in the body in the form of fatty deposits.

Gingerbreads sold on store shelves are more dangerous than self-prepared delicacies. Many manufacturers, in an effort to reduce costs, are replacing honey with molasses or sugar syrup with flavors that do nothing but harm the body.

Sugar and glaze, in turn, have an extremely negative effect on the condition of the tooth enamel.

In addition, gingerbread in its classic form is contraindicated for diabetics. But now on the market you can find sweets specially designed for this group of patients and containing sweeteners instead of regular sugar, which do not affect the level of insulin in the blood. Nevertheless, it is better for those with a sweet tooth with diabetes to talk to their doctor before indulging their gastronomic weaknesses.

Nutritional supplements

Ultimately, the maximum harm to health is caused not by the usual natural ingredients in the composition of Russian gingerbread, but by all kinds of nutritional supplements... Let's see what this threatens.

• Cocoa powder substitutes. They are used to save money, but unlike those that have a beneficial effect on the human body, they can cause irreparable damage. Unfortunately, there is still no serious scientific research on the effects of long-term use of such supplements.
• Mint and vanilla substitutes. Vanilla flavors provide absolutely no benefit to the body, and instead of mint, many manufacturers add synthetic menthol (a relative of methane). Such an additive is contraindicated in children, and for adults it is difficult to find at least something useful in it.
• Dyes and emulsifiers are widely used in modern production... And this despite the fact that among them it is difficult to find at least one harmless one.

Choose gingerbread, in which the listed components will be absent or minimized. And Bon Appetit!

Gingerbread - flour pastry baked from a special dough; for taste, honey, nuts, raisins, fruit or berry jam can be added. In appearance, the gingerbread is a curly, rectangular or oval, on the top of which a drawing is usually embossed. Gingerbread is a symbol of the holiday, although gingerbread was made not only for the holidays.

The first gingerbread in Russia were called "honey bread" and appeared around the 9th century, they were a mixture of rye flour with honey and berry juice, and honey in them was almost half of all other ingredients. Later, forest herbs and roots began to be added to "honey bread", and in the 12th-13th centuries, when exotic spices brought from India and the Middle East began to appear in Russia, the gingerbread got its name and almost completely took shape in the delicacy that is known US.

In the XVII - XIX centuries gingerbread business has become an important branch of folk craft, especially in Arkhangelsk, Vyazma, Gorodets, Moscow, Tula, Tver. Since the second half of the 19th century, gingerbread cookies have become permanent exhibits at All-Russian art and industrial exhibitions. In the XX century, the gingerbread business lost its former popularity.

According to the method of preparation, gingerbreads are custard and raw; in form - printed, cut, stucco (Arkhangelsk roe). Printed gingerbread cookies were stamped using carved wooden boards. Carved gingerbread cookies were cut out of a layer of dough with special notches in the form of fish, figurines of animals, birds, etc. Stucco - they were molded from dough by hand in the form of stars, figurines of animals, birds.

Gingerbread cookies are excellent examples of Russian arts and crafts. Their collections adorn the windows of many museums around the world. Carved gingerbread boards were highly prized.

Gingerbread was given as a sign of respect and love, on holidays, birthdays and name days, gingerbread was given to the bride for a wedding. Gingerbread cookies "in honor" were sometimes made very large, wishing to show how great the love and respect of the giver was. Sometimes they weighed several poods, and carried them on two sleighs, which rode side by side.
In many regions of Russia there was a "gingerbread game": the players threw the gingerbread one by one and the winner was the one whose gingerbread flew the farthest.

Sometimes the gingerbread cookies were covered with colored glaze, supplied with the inscriptions: "This gingerbread with honey, pepper and perfume", "Eat gingerbread for good people for health and honor", "Whom I love, I give him", etc.

Gingerbread dough composition
Basic part of gingerbread dough in most cases is sugar syrup or honey, wheat flour I or II grade, seeded rye flour or rye flour is also suitable coarse... The latter are used with wheat flour (2/3 wheat flour, 1/3 rye flour). From fats, you can use butter, margarine, pork fat, vegetable fat and vegetable oil, from spices - cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, pepper, nutmeg, coriander, citrus zest, cocoa, etc. Two, three or more types of spices are taken. Of the baking powder, potash with ammonium carbonate is considered the best. You can also use baking soda, baking powder, and yeast. According to the recipe in gingerbread dough put eggs, sour cream, nuts, almonds and other foods.

When making baking powder, mix equal amounts of baking soda and citric acid... When preparing the dough, baking soda or baking powder is mixed with flour; when combined with a liquid, carbon dioxide is released immediately, as a result of which the product rises worse during baking. For 1 kg of flour, about 2 teaspoons of baking soda or 4 - 6 teaspoons of baking powder are consumed.

You can make sugar syrup yourself. To get 1 kg of syrup, take about 800 g of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Put half of this amount of sugar in a pan and add about half a glass cold water so that sugar lumps do not form when ignited. Sugar is brought to a relatively dark brown color (until it starts to smoke slightly), then add hot water, the remaining sugar and boiled down until a sufficiently thick syrup is formed.

If the standing dough is slightly dry, then a little liquid should be added to it and knead again until it becomes homogeneous.

Glazing of gingerbread
There are two ways to glaze gingerbreads: simplified and real glaze.
A simplified frosting is made from 500 g of sugar and 0.75 cups of water. Sugar syrup is boiled down "to a medium thread", carefully removing foam and other impurities.
The gingerbread cookies are placed in a wide enamel bowl in one layer and evenly poured with sugar syrup, and then mixed with a wooden spoon so that the glaze covers them evenly. The gingerbreads are placed on a sheet and dried in the oven for no more than 1 min.
Real glaze is made from 400 g of sugar, 5 egg whites, 0.25 cups of water. Sometimes dyes and spices (zest) are added to the glaze.
Sugar is dissolved in water and boiled until it becomes lipstick (boiling sugar, taken with a spoon and cooled in water, should be thick like sour cream). At the same time, whisk the whites into a dense foam. Slowly, in portions, pour hot sugar into the proteins, which at the same time continue to beat continuously (this operation must be done by two people). Gingerbread is spread with a protein-sugar mass using brushes or feathers, and then they are dried in a hot-heated oven with the fire turned off until a dry crust appears.
Gingerbread with real icing looks prettier and tastes better.

Spices for gingerbread
Typical of a good gingerbread dough is a whole mixture of spices: cloves, cinnamon, ginger, anise, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg, some black pepper, paprika, and salt - all crushed into powder. Pounded bitter almonds, lemon and orange peel... Usually 1-2 tsp is added to 1 kg of gingerbread dough. mixture, necessarily crushed into the finest dust.

Basic Gingerbread Dough Recipe
500 g syrup
150 g (3/4 cup) sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of cloves
1 - 2 tbsp. grated or dried and chopped lemon or orange zest
150-200 g margarine or fat
2 eggs
1 - 1.2 kg flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Heat syrup or honey together with sugar and fat. Add chopped spices to semi-cooled syrup or honey and refrigerate. Chopped spices can also be mixed with flour, then add eggs, liquid, potash with ammonium carbonate dissolved in a small amount of water and flour or flour mixed with baking powder into the syrup. Knead smooth dough and refrigerate. If they want to put nuts, almonds or candied fruits into the dough, then they are added when kneading. The dough prepared with potash should stand for 2 - 3 weeks, the dough cooked with baking soda and ammonium carbonate - at least 2 days. Dough made with yeast or with baking powder can be baked on the same or the next day.
The gingerbread cookies are baked in a moderately hot oven and take care not to turn too brown. In this case, the gingerbread will be bitter.

Simple honey cakes
Ingredients:
400 g honey
8 eggs
400 g flour
Preparation
Whisk honey separately and egg whites, and then mix and continue whisking until smooth.
Then add flour in parts, stirring constantly so that there are no lumps.
If desired, you can add spices, candied fruits and almonds.
Transfer the dough to greased tins and bake in the oven.

Gingerbread "Tulskie"
Ingredients:
250 g flour
75 g sugar
75 g honey
1 tbsp. a spoonful of butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of spices

3 tbsp. spoons of water
150-200 g thick jam or jam
1 egg for lube
4 tbsp. tablespoons of sugar for syrup
Preparation
Prepare the dough, roll it into a 1 cm thick layer, cut into rectangles or make round cakes, put the thick jam in the middle and spread it almost to the edges of the cake.
Grease the edges with an egg, and cover with another cake on top.
To prevent the jam from flowing out, press the edges of the cakes. Bake for 10-12 minutes at a temperature of 240-250 ° C. Ready gingerbread cover with glaze.

Gingerbread
1/3 cup liquid honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon of salt (no top)
a pinch of ground ginger
120 g butter
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups flour
For glaze:
1 protein
150-200 g icing sugar
a few drops lemon juice or vinegar
1 teaspoon potato starch
food colorings
Mix honey, cinnamon, cloves, cocoa, salt and ginger and heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add oil, stir, cool. Beat eggs with sugar and mix with honey-oil mixture. Add baking soda and sifted flour, knead the dough and leave in the refrigerator for a day.
Then roll out the dough 3 - 5 mm thick, cut out the gingerbread cookies with molds or a knife. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 7-10 minutes, carefully remove from the baking sheet, wait until cool and decorate with glaze.
Glaze preparation:
Sift the icing sugar several times. Beat the protein, gradually adding the icing sugar, add lemon juice and starch. Add dyes if necessary. Immediately place the glaze in a tight bag, cut off a small corner and decorate the gingerbread cookies.