Children’s Gingerbread (Дитячі пряники) is a GOST gingerbread recipe of the “raw” (syrtsevi) type — meaning the dough is not pre-cooked or scalded. This is an economical formulation that historically utilized trim and offcuts from cake and pastry production as a key ingredient, making it a practical waste-reduction recipe for confectionery factories.
Recipe per 10 kg of finished product
- First-grade wheat flour (TS 85.50%) — 3.455 kg
- First-grade wheat flour (for dusting) — 0.270 kg
- Cake and pastry trim/offcuts (TS 72.00%) — 2.868 kg
- Eggs for dough (TS 27.00%) — 0.795 kg
- Eggs for glazing (TS 27.00%) — 0.138 kg
- Caramel color (palenka) — as needed for color
- Granulated sugar — per recipe card
- Sodium bicarbonate — per recipe card
- Ammonium bicarbonate — per recipe card
- Spice blend (dry perfume) — per recipe card
Technological notes
Raw-type gingerbread (syrtsevi pryanyky) is made by mixing all ingredients without pre-scalding the flour — unlike the more elaborate “zavarne” (scalded) type where flour is first mixed with hot sugar syrup and aged. The dough is formed, shaped (typically stamped into simple round or oval shapes), egg-washed for a glossy surface, and baked at 200–220 °C for 10–12 minutes.
The use of cake trim and offcuts gives this recipe its distinctive character — it was a standard Soviet-era approach to minimizing production waste while creating an affordable product. The offcuts are typically ground and mixed into the dough, contributing moisture, fat, and flavor from the original cake or pastry products.
TS = total solids.