Mini Gingerbread Loaves
Old-fashioned Mini Gingerbread Loaves! Sweetened and spiced to perfection with a characteristic warm and cheerful holiday flavor from rich molasses, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Perfect for holiday gifting!
The ingredients in these mini gingerbread loaves are lightened up a bit, but you’d never know it. The loaves are indeed melt-in-your-mouth delicious! Perfect for bake sales and holiday gifting. This straightforward gingerbread loaf recipe belongs in every home baker’s collection of foolproof recipes.
Like my Pumpkin Spice Bread and Banana Bread, this gingerbread loaf qualifies as a quick bread, so the batter can be baked immediately, unlike fussy yeast bread.
As a result, this practically effortless recipe is perfect for baking beginners. In the end, you’ll bake perfectly plump, mini gingerbread loaves to wrap up and gift during the holidays with tons of Christmas cookies, of course!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These loaves are very easy to bake from scratch with no frills, and easy-to-find ingredients, many of which you may already have in your kitchen.
- You can customize the loaves with chocolate, nuts, glazes, frostings, and more.
- Perfect served with hot coffee or tea for breakfast, snacks, and dessert!
- The loaves can be baked and frozen until you’re ready for holiday gifting.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Unsalted butter – This is the base layer of fat that absorbs the remaining ingredients, creating a firm, cohesive quick bread batter. Make sure your butter is softened.
- Light brown sugar – To sweeten.
- Molasses – This adds a ton of flavor and helps the bread stay soft in the middle and nicely browned on the surface.
- Greek yogurt – Plain, 2% enhances the density, creating a delectable moist crumb.
- Eggs – Lightly beaten eggs add moisture and help bind the quick bread batter, so it holds together during baking.
- Vanilla – Improves the sweet flavors and caramel-like tones.
- Unbleached white wheat flour – I like using the King Arthur brand.
- Baking powder and baking soda – These are the leavening agents that cause the bread to rise correctly, resulting in a more soft loaf of gingerbread.
- Salt – Helps balance the spectrum of sweet, tangy, caramely, and warmly spiced flavors.
- Gingerbread spices – A mixture of cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg delivers that distinguishable gingerbread flavor, but you can also use a store-bought gingerbread spice blend.
- Boiling water – Helps keep the loaves moist and wakes up the spectrum of sugar and spices.
How To Make Mini Gingerbread Loaves
Step 1: Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat mini loaf pans with baking spray and sifted flour. You can also use a cooking spray, like Bakers Joy, that has the flour already in it.
Step 2: Combine wet ingredients. Add softened butter and brown sugar to a large mixing bowl, and cream until light and fluffy. Add molasses, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla, and beat on medium until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
Step 3: Mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and gingerbread spices together.
Step 4: Combine dry and wet batters. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients while mixing on medium until fully incorporated. Then blend in the boiling water.
Step 5: Pour and bake. Pour the batter into the mini loaf pans about ¾ full and bake until the middles are set, and a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: Cool and store. Let the loaves cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pans and placing them on a wire rack. Let cool completely before decorating (see below for ideas) and storing.
Recipe Tips
- Do not scoop the flour out of the bag with the measuring cup. Instead, spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
- When mixing the ingredients, be sure not to overmix; this could create a texture that is too dense in the bread.
- I love to make this recipe in disposable holiday baking containers. They’re perfect for gift gifting, and there are fewer dishes to wash!
- To further lighten this gingerbread loaf, substitute half of the butter with applesauce, pureed pumpkin, or pureed butternut squash.
Variations
Put your spin on mini gingerbread loaves. Check out the list below for ideas.
- Chocolate gingerbread – Sweeten the gingerbread with chocolate chips, chocolate chunks, or even white chocolate.
- Nutty gingerbread – Add a nutty texture and crunch by adding your favorite nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, or crushed almonds. Shredded coconut is also great.
Toppings for gingerbread – Keep it simple with sifted powdered sugar, or upgrade your gingerbread loaves with a drizzle of maple syrup, or frost them with maple cream cheese frosting or buttercream frosting.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: You can store leftover gingerbread loaves in an airtight container for 3-4 days at room temperature. A bread box is ideal, but plastic containers work well, too. Avoid using a plastic bag. I typically do not recommend refrigerating quick bread because it tends to dry them out, so it’s always best fresh! Make sure that the gingerbread is completely cooled before slicing.
Freezing: After the bread has cooled completely to room temperature, wrap the whole loaf or individual slices tightly in plastic and freeze in a freezer-safe bag for 2 to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! I have made these loaves by substituting the regular flour with King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour with great results.
Sure! But you’ll have to adjust the baking time, of course. For example, for gingerbread muffins, bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes.
Yes! Pour the batter into a greased, floured 9×5” loaf pan, and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
More Festive Recipes You’ll Love
If you love this recipe, I would be so grateful if you could leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below. I love reading your comments and feedback!
Stay posted on my latest cooking adventures through social media @ Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. Also, don’t forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!
Mini Gingerbread Loaves
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened (can do 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup applesauce)
- 1/4 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached white wheat flour I use King Arthur brand
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy
- Add molasses, yogurt, eggs and vanilla and beat on medium until well mixed, scraping down sides as needed
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients until blended
- Add dry ingredients, slowly, to wet ingredients until mixed
- Blend in boiling water
- Immediately pour into greased and floured loaf pans, filling about 3/4 full and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. *see notes for loaf pan time recommendations.
Notes
- Do not scoop the flour out of the bag with the measuring cup. Instead, spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup and level it off with a knife.
- When mixing the ingredients, be sure not to overmix; this could create a texture that is too dense in the bread.
- Make this recipe in disposable holiday baking containers. They’re perfect for gift gifting, and there are fewer dishes to wash!
- To further lighten this gingerbread loaf, substitute half of the butter with applesauce, pureed pumpkin, or pureed butternut squash.
Nutrition
- Mango Protein Shake - July 22, 2024
- Guacamole Puking Pumpkin - July 15, 2024
- Air Fryer Peach Crisp - July 10, 2024
This bread looks super yummy! Id love to receive one of these cute loaves as a present! Great idea!
Thank you Rachel!
These loaves look delicious, Amee…and what a perfect gift! !
Thank you, Ann! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
This would make such a great host/hostess gift! I love the packaging and gingerbread is always a perfect compliment to the holiday menu.
Thank you Kati! 🙂
Amee thank you for this recipe it looks so warming and yummy. Will be making this over the Christmas period. Have a great weekend xoxo