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

Christmas puddings (the traditional medieval/Victorian fruit cake that is extremely dense and usually contains alcohol and is lit on fire either on Christmas eve or day prior to serving) actually does need to be stored for several weeks if you’re using a traditional recipe that pre-dates refrigeration and so forth.

Never heard about this with gingerbread. Either you’re confused or your friend who told you this is.