Parkin – Yorkshire gingerbread

A traditional Yorkshire gingerbread, usually eaten on Bonfire Night (5 November), although well known throughout the UK and baked all year round. How is it different from our gingerbreads? It is soft, very sticky and moist, made with molasses and oatmeal. Molasses gives it a deep, dark colour. After baking, it can be stored for a long time (up to 2 weeks), and some say the older it gets, the better it tastes…

Ingredients for Yorkshire parkin:

• 225 g butter
• 1 egg
• 3 Tbsp milk
• 170 g golden syrup
• 100 g treacle
• 85 g muscovado sugar
• 100 g medium oatmeal
• 250 g plain flour
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Gently melt the golden syrup, treacle, muscovado sugar and butter together in a large saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly. In a bowl, mix together the oatmeal, plain flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger, then stir into the syrup mixture. Add the egg and milk and mix until just combined.

Line a square 22 – 23 cm baking tin with baking paper. Pour in the gingerbread batter and bake at 150°C for 50–60 minutes. The finished parkin should feel firm with a slightly crusty top. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Yorkshire parkin can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

Recipe source: Good Food magazine.