Twice & Thrice Challenge, Recipe 2 - Ginetoes

The Baker (c. 1681) by Job Adriaensz Berckheyde (1630-1693) now held by the Worcester Art Museum.

This week, we're kicking things up a notch with a recipe for "an excellent bread called Ginetoes". As far as we can tell, a ginetoe is the union of a pretzel and that Newfoundland favourite Purity Sweet Bread.

The original recipe dates from 1617 and appeared in John Murrell's A daily exercise for ladies and gentlewomen. Whereby they may learne and practice the whole art of making pastes, preserues, marmalades, conserues, tartstuffes, gellies, breads, sucket candies, cordiall vvaters, conceits in sugar-vvorkes of seuerall kindes. As also to dry lemonds, orenges, or other fruits. Newly set forth, according to the now approued receipts, vsed both by honourable and vvorshipfull personages. By Iohn Murrell, professour thereof which must surely rank as one of the least concise titles of any cookbook in the history of publishing. Here's how it goes:

To make an excellent Bread called Ginetoes.

Take halfe a pound of fine Wheat flower, an ounce of powder of Pomecittrons, an ounce of powder of Lemonds, a quarter of an ounce of fine cersed Ginger, the weight of sixe pence of the finest Basill, Marioram beaten into powder, make all this into a perfect Paste as stiffe as for Manchet, with a little Ipocras made warme, the yolks of three or foure new laid Egges, a sawcer full of sweet Creame, a piece of sweet Butter as much as an Egge, and then rowle it in long rowles, and tie them in some pretie fashion like Sumbals, then throw them into seething water, and they will presently fall downe to the bottome, watch them, and so soone as you see them rise to the top of the water, take them vp presently with a scummer, and bake them vpon sheetes of white paper, and when they be three or foure dayes old, throw them into boiling Sugar of a Candie height; then take them vp, and drie them vpon leaues made of Basket-makers twigges in a warme Ouen.

And that's all we have. No one, it seems, has developed a modern version of this recipe (We're hoping that's not a sign!). Thankfully, Murrell has provided measurements for most of the ingredients and a little Google sleuthing helps fill in some of the gaps:

• According to Wikipedia, a 17th century sixpence weighs roughly 2.8 grams. 
• Ipocras (A.K.A. hipocras, hippocrass, ypocrasse, ypocras, hypocras, hyppocras, or ippocras) is a spiced wine thought to aid digestion. Recipes are numerous and varied. This one dates from 1660.
• Powder of Lemonds, or Lemon Powder, is surprisingly simple to make and tastes/smells fantastic! Well worth the little effort required. We're guessing powder of pomecittrons is prepared the same way, but with grapefruit. 
• Manchet is a bread made with finely sifted white flour.

Lori and Sue, our intrepid kitchen interpreters, have already made one batch and will be posting tips, results and lessons learned on the Colony's Facebook page. Do the same any you'll be automatically entered to win this week's prize draw. Good luck!