I was told that gingerbread batter should be left in the fridge to ripen for around a month, but preferably longer. What exactly happens when it matures, and why it doesn’t go bad?

Question

UPDATE:

People are either screwing with me (though I asked people who don’t know one another so it’s highly unlikely) and they consistently say that they either never heard of that or that it should be 3-4 weeks maturation time. Primarily because honey and some spices have antibacterial features, so it doesn’t go bad

In: 1305

Answer 1

I guess I’m pretty late to the party, but in the Czech Republic, the traditional gingerbread is made from aged dough. This guy bakes gingerbread for a living (article in Czech, usable with Google translate, I guess):

https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/magazin-testo-zraje-vetsinou-pul-roku-jedno-mam-ale-stare-deset-let-rika-pernikar-202745

Basically he says that for commercial production, the dough ages 4-6 months. But it’s a tradition that when a gingerbread-baker’s daughter is born, they make dough for wedding gingerbread, so the dough can easily be 20+ years old when the daughter gets married.

When we make it at home, few days of aging is sufficient, although overnight can be enough if you’re in a rush.