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sourdough gingerbread cookies with icing on a red plate

Sourdough Gingerbread Cookies (Houses & Men, too!)

Homestead Lady Tessa Zundel
Long ferment this sourdough gingerbread cookie recipe for men, houses, trees, and other decorative cookie creations. With traditional spices, molasses, and a mix of flours, this gingerbread bakes up perfectly for making houses.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Ferment Time 6 hours

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Cups Organic White Flour May use whole wheat
  • 8 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
  • 2 Tbsp. Powdered Ginger
  • 1 Tbsp. Powdered Cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp. Nutmeg
  • 1 tsp. Allspice
  • 1 Tbsp. Sea Salt
  • 2 Cups Raw Sugar May add up to a cup more for more sweetness
  • 2 Cups Melted Butter
  • 2 Cups Molasses
  • 6 Fresh Eggs
  • 1 Cup Sourdough Starter Active or Discard

Instructions
 

Initial Mix

  • In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of white flour and 8 cups of whole wheat flour. Mix in 2 Tbsp. of ginger, and 1 Tsbp. each of cinnamon and nutmeg. Add to that 1 tsp. allspice, 1 Tbsp. of sea salt, and 2 cups of sugar.
  • In a small saucepan, melt 2 cups of butter. Set aside to slightly cool.
  • In another bowl, mix 2 cups of molasses, 6 eggs, and 1 cup of sourdough starter. Add the melted but slightly cooled butter. Mix well to incorporate.
  • Add the molasses mixture to the flour and spice mixture. You can use a mixer but I usually use a large spoon and then finish up with my hands.
  • Cover the bowl with a lid and set it in a warm place where it won't be disturbed. Ferment for six hours.*

Shape & Bake

  • Preheat the oven to 350F/176C.
  • Dust a clean countertop with your favorite dusting flour and roll out the gingerbread cookie dough until it is 1/4" thick. For softer cookies, you can increase the thickness another 1/8".
  • Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. You may place relatively close together; the gingerbread won't puff up that much.
  • Baked until dough loses its shine, the cookies lighten in color, and a finger tap doesn't leave an imprint. Bake about 30 minutes; a bit longer for crunchy cookies, a bit less for soft cookies.
  • Cool completely if icing the cookies. Low-carb cream cheese icing instructions included in the notes.

Notes

*If you don't have time to bake the gingerbread the same day, you can slow ferment the gingerbread cookie dough in the fridge.
Likewise, if you're worried about the eggs being fermented at room temperature, you can place you dough into the fridge overnight.
You can add another cup of sugar to this recipe if you'd like a little more sweetness. My family prefers a spicy, firm gingerbread.
The dough will be a little sticky when you're rolling it out, but keep working with it and you'll get a rollable texture.
You can experiment with your preferred thickness with these sourdough gingerbread cookies. For softer cookies, you can add 1/8" more thickness.
  • For structure, like houses and trees, keep it at 1/4" for strength.
The yield off finished items for this recipe is highly variable in relation to what you're cutting out - cookies, men, trees, houses, etc. The recipe overall will produce about 11 cups of dough.
You'll know the sourdough gingerbread cookies and cutouts are done baking when the glossy shine is gone and the color has lightened. You may also see very small bubbles baking under the surface of the cookies.
Cool the cookies completely before frosting or turning into houses or trees. Use your favorite recipe for frosting.
We eat our sourdough gingerbread cookies plain or with a simple, low-carb frosting piped onto the cookies.
Low Carb Cream Cheese Topping:
  1. Over a double boiler, melt 1 package of cream cheese. Stir to smooth.
  2. Add 1-2 Tbsp. of erythritol and still until melted.
  3. Remove from heat and cool for a few minutes.
  4. Add to a prepared piping bag and decorate your sourdough gingerbread cookies.
This topping will stiffen quite a bit as it cools. We like this topping so much better than something like royal icing (gag) or typically cookie frosting (too sweet).
Keyword Christmas Cookie, gingerbread, sourdough
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!