Tula gingerbread

The fame of Tula gingerbread has long been distributed around the world. This confection is rightfully considered an integral attribute of the Russian land, and also represents an always desirable gift or souvenir for any celebration or holiday. The unique taste and extraordinary aroma of Tula gingerbread, which are made according to ancient gingerbread recipes from Tula, can hardly leave indifferent to this delicacy.

The surface of Tula gingerbread is always decorated with a drawing or inscription. In the old days, religious and historical images were very popular, while today carrots with the application of secular words of wishes and congratulations are more and more relevant.

Tula gingerbread is known not only due to its taste, but also, most importantly, due to the fact that the real gingerbread from Tula is printed. And this, of course, is quite troublesome and requires a certain skill.

So, for the manufacture of Tula gingerbread, the master first cuts out of wood a form on which there is an inscription in mirror image. The first layer of dough on which the filling is applied is laid in it. Basically, in the composition of Tula gingerbread, it either saw or condensed milk. All this is covered with a second layer of dough and the semi-finished product is strongly pressed. This is done so that the drawing is properly printed.

After the mold is inverted and the print is released, a sugar glaze is applied to the confection. The gingerbread is sent to the oven, where it is left until tender. As you can see, the work on the production of real Tula gingerbread is almost manual. And the form sometimes serves up to 70 years of good quality.

Composition of Tula gingerbread

According to the recipe, Tula gingerbread contains a mixture of rye flour and natural honey in approximately equal quantities. In this case, honey acts not only as a fragrant base, but also as a natural baking powder. Combined with sour cream, this sweet product gives you a slight fermentation, and as a result, a slightly loose dough. The calorie content of Tula gingerbread is quite high and amounts to about 364 kcal per hundred grams of finished product.

In addition, Tula gingerbread contains a large number of spices, which are considered mandatory components in their manufacture. Spices are thoroughly rubbed and introduced into a fairly thin dough. So aromatic additives better impregnate the dough with their rich smell. Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, clove, badyan, coriander and allspice are most commonly used. But most of all coriander and cinnamon are added - at least 30 percent.