Wheelers Cakes & Biscuits Recipes

Gingerbread Bicycles by Aneeta

6oz plain flour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
1 tsp ground ginger
2½oz butter
3oz caster sugar
2 tbsps golden syrup
1 egg yolk

Will make about 15 bicycle biscuits.

1. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and ginger into a large bowl
2. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs
3. Stir in the sugar, syrup and egg yolk and mix to firm dough
4. Knead lightly on a floured surface, wrap in cling-film and chill in fridge for 30mins
5. Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350F/Gas mark 4
6. Grease two large baking sheets
7. Roll out dough on floured surface and cut out bicycles (bicycle-shaped pastry/biscuit cutter found on eBay) - see photos below for cutting instructions for the cutter I used.
8. Bake for 10-15mins until just beginning to colour around the edges
9. Leave on baking sheets for 3mins then transfer to a wire rack to cool

Cutting instructions

The bicycle biscuit cutter has been modified so that the inside section that makes the 'impression' is cut out.  Do this carefully with a Stanley knife...

...so you have the cutter section and inside section in separate bits.

Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface and use the cutter to cut your shape. Lift the shape inside the cutter to place on your lined baking tray.

Very gently lift off the cutter using the back of a teaspoon on the delicate saddle/handlebar/pedal sections. This takes a bit of practice! Don't worry if you break off any sections, you can simply reknead the dough and roll it out again.

Here are the bicycles BEFORE they go in the oven. Bake them until the edges just start to go brown. If you bake them quite lightly then you end up with a nice and chewy biscuit.

As soon as they come OUT OF THE OVEN use the 'impression' section to press the shape firmly into your biscuit. This must been done immediately as they harden as they cool.

Now your bicycle biscuit will cool and harden with the markings neatly impressed into it.

Wheelers Cakes & Biscuits Recipes