Fresh-Milled Gingerbread Loaf
This fresh-milled gingerbread loaf will be your new go-to holiday sweet bread. It's made with warm spices, molasses, and freshly milled soft white wheat. No one will ever guess it's 100% whole grain!
Servings: 10 slices
Calories: 304kcal
Equipment
- Grain Mill
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 1/2 cups soft white wheat finely milled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- powdered sugar optional, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat and Prep. Preheat the oven to 350° F and grease an 8" or 9" loaf pan.
- Make the Buttermilk. In a small bowl, combine the milk and vinegar. Set aside.1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- Mill the Flour. Mill the wheat berries on the finest setting. You need a total of 2 1/2 cups of milled flour.2 1/2 cups soft white wheat
- Combine the Dry Ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milled flour, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Cream the Butter and Sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and brown sugar. Using a paddle attachment, beat on medium until combined and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add Wet Ingredients. Add the molasses and vanilla, and beat on medium speed until combined, about a minute or so.1/2 cup unsulphured molasses, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the Eggs. Add the eggs and mix on medium until combined, about 1 minute.2 whole eggs
- Fold in Part of Flour Mixture. Add 1/2 of the flour to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed just until combined.
- Alternate Buttermilk and Flour. Add 1/2 of the milk-vinegar mixture. Mix on low speed just until combined. Alternate adding the remaining half of the flour and milk, mixing between each addition. Do not overmix.
- Transfer. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Enjoy! Allow to cool for 30 minutes or so before serving. I've found that the texture and flavor improve if it cools to room temperature.If sprinkling with powdered sugar, let it cool all the way to room temperature first.powdered sugar
Notes
- I always mill my wheat berries just before baking, but you can grind them a day ahead and store them in the fridge if needed.
- You can increase or decrease the spices depending on your preferences.
- A pinch of ground cloves is also good in this. However, I’m the only person in my house who likes cloves, so I leave them out.
- You can skip the milk and vinegar altogether and use 1 cup of buttermilk.
- For the most accurate and repeatable results, I recommend weighing the ingredients in grams using a kitchen scale.
- Mix until the ingredients are just combined; overmixing can make the loaf dense.
- Chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or chopped pecans are all delicious additions if you want to change things up.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 258mg | Potassium: 319mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 368IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 1mg
