On 9 February 1999 dbergh@tp.net wrote:
My husband and I lived in Holland for two years and we fell in love with
Dutch breads from the neighborhood bakeries. I haven't been able to find
recipes for them. Can anyone help? I am especially looking for their many
kinds of wheat or multigrain yeast breads and also quick breads flavored
with lots of ginger.
Hello Debbie,
We spent most of the '70s in Holland. At that time most home cooking was
done on a four burner stove-top as few Dutch houses had ovens. Cakes were
bought from the baker, or grocer in the case of ontbijt koek.
But an English-language book bought early in our stay was 'The Netherlands
Cookbook' by Heleen A M Haverhout, and it includes the following recipes for
ginger flavoured cakes - I hope they are similar to the ones you are
looking for.
Ontbijtkoek (Breakfast cake)
2 cups self rising flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar (J: Demerara is suggested)
1/3 cup molasses or treacle
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon each ground cloves, cinnamon and ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
pinch of salt
Combine all to a smooth paste.
Place in a buttered 8 inch x 3 inch loaf tin and bake about an hour in a
slow oven (300F).
When cooked, allow to cool and keep in a tin or in the bread-bin for
24 hours before serving.
This cake keeps moist when put in the bread-bin with the bread.
The Dutch serve it with their 'elevenses', buttered, or on a slice of bread
for breakfast.
Joodse Boterkoek (Jewish butter cake)
2 cups flour
1 cup butter (Should be butter). (J: Probably was unsalted - If you use
salted
butter, you could omit the salt called for in the recipe)
1 cup sugar (caster)
1 small egg, beaten
salt
3 ounces finely chopped candied ginger
Knead all the ingredients into a smooth paste, keeping half the beaten egg
for decorating.
Butter a pie pan (8 inches diameter) and press the dough into it.
Brush the remaining egg on top. Decorate the top in squares with the back
of a knife.
Bake 30 minutes in a moderate oven (350F) until golden brown.
While still hot press the middle of the cake down with the back of a spoon.
Cool and when firm to the touch turn out onto a wire rack.
This cake should be soft inside (but done!) and hard at the outside.
Jay in Sydney