Healthier Gingerbread

Submitted by batifol

"This is moist and delicious, with more fiber and less fat than most recipes. It comes from The Healthy Oven Baking Book by Sarah Phillips, which I recommend VERY highly. Phillips has developed new mixing techniques that allow you to make light, moist baked goods without a lot of fat."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 9

ingredients

• 1 dash nonstick canola oil cooking spray
• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour (spoon into cup, then level off)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (spoon into cup and level off)
• 1 tablespoon minced crystallized ginger (or more!)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup molasses
• 1⁄2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1⁄2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons canola oil

directions

1. Because lowfat recipes are very sensitive, follow all the measuring and mixing instructions exactly, or you may get a heavy, dry result.
2. Measure flour by spooning it gently into the measuring cup, then leveling off.
3. Place oven rack at center position and preheat oven to 350°.
4. Spray 8 x 8" square nonstick baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Combine flours, spices, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and stir lightly with a fork.
6. In another bowl, combine water, molasses, brown sugar, applesauce, egg and oil and beat with a mixer on high speed until mixture is frothy (about 2 minutes).
7. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.
8. Pour the wet into the dry and stir gently, just enough to moisten thoroughly.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan, level gently, and place in oven.
10. Bake 50 minutes or until the top springs back when touched gently and edges pull away from the sides of the pan.
11. Be careful not to overbake.
12. Serve warm or cold, plain, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar, or with the dessert sauce of your choice.
13. I like it best warm with some slightly runny fruit preserves on top.

Reviews

[ladypit]

Nice gingerbread recipe. Especially the addition of the candied ginger. I did deviate a little from the recipe in that I used all whole wheat pastry flour instead of some whole wheat and some regular (I don't keep white flour in the house anymore). I also used demarara instead of regular brown sugar and found that I liked the occasional crunch of that sugar instead of all of it melting in to the loaf. A nice recipe with lots of good spiciness for a cold day!