Lebkuchen

Images: Chocolate glazing Chocolate glazing (cut) Sugar glazing

Note: It is possible to make vegan Lebkuchen by leaving away the eggs and using a substitute such as golden syrup or "Zuckerrübensirup" for the honey. I suppose you could also use a proper substitute for the eggs, but I just used about 120mL of water as a substitute. Another idea would be to use only syrup instead of half syrup, half sugar, but I haven't tried that yet.

• Ingredients
  • 250g honey
  • 250g sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 500g flour
  • ~1 1/8 tsp (5g) "Hirschhornsalz" (baker's ammonia/ammonium bicarbonate)
  • 2 Tbsp Lebkuchen Spice
  • Chocolate or other glazing
• Instructions
  • Heat honey in small pot
  • Add sugar and keep heating until it has dissolved
  • Leave to cool
  • Combine with 375g flour, eggs, and spice
    • Note: Mix the spice with the flour first so it is distributed evenly.
  • Leave to rest in a cool place for one day (or just overnight)
  • Add remaining 125g of flour and Hirschhornsalz and knead thoroughly
  • Spread fairly thin on greased baking tray (<1cm thick, maybe around 0.5cm)
    • Note: I have a ~30cm x 36cm tray that works well for a double portion.
  • Bake at 180 C until it has turned nicely brown (~10-20 min)
    • Note: The baking time depends very much on the thickness of the Lebkuchen and the type of tray used. Some trays just don't bake as well as others. If the Lebkuchen isn't baked long enough, it will still be gooey in the middle.
  • Leave to cool, then add whatever glazing you want
  • Notes
    • Add the honey-sugar mixture to the flour before it has cooled completely, or it will be almost impossible to get out of the pot.
    • Apparently, Hirschhornsalz may cause certain substances to be formed that may cause cancer. It's probably possible to use baking powder/soda instead, but I haven't experimented with that yet.
    • If the glazing is not chocolate but some sort of sugar mixture, add it when the Lebkuchen is still hot so it dries more quickly.
    • You can also add nuts to it. Let your imagination run free, at least within bounds.
    • The dough is really sticky and difficult to work with. When spreading it onto a tray, I always dip my hands in water before so it doesn't stick as much, and I just spread it with my fingers instead of trying to use a rolling pin.