I’m jumping head first into the holidays and I’m kicking it off with this gingerbread bostock.
Let me say first off that I have not put my tree up yet. I’m fully embracing my fall decor, and plan to for the next few weeks, but since last week felt like the longest year in existence and well, we all need a little jolliness, I’m starting with the holiday foodstuffs early. Hence, the gingerbread. I mean if Starbucks can, why can I?
Now, you may be asking…
What is bostock, anyway?
Well, it’s a French pastry – perhaps the easiest one to make out there. No lamination, no puff pastry, no hours of prep time. It’s basically an almond toast made with leftover, slightly stale bread, smothered in frangipane (sort of an almond paste) and baked for just a bit to breathe new life into yesterday’s extras.
My main issue with bostock, generally, is the same issue I have with almond croissants found in the U.S. They use almond extract and therefore ruin it every single time. I remedied that by making my own almond croissants without it, and now I’m giving bostock the same almond extract-less treatment and adding in our favourite fall and winter gingerbread spices to take it’s place. And trust me, this bostock is exponentially easier.
And I’ll say right now, they’re better.
Objectively.
The best thing about bostock is that it takes less than 30 minutes to put together because it involves minimal assembly and only a quick bake. Seriously one of the easiest holiday breakfast or brunch treats out there, I’d wager.
One note, the gingerbread flavour is not overwhelming here but intentionally subtle. Mom noted that she thought the gingerbread spices would overpower the delicacy of the almond, and so the spices are just enough to add some warmth without making the whole thing overly heavy. K?
So what do I need to make gingerbread bostock?
- Slightly stale, thick cut challah or brioche bread
- water, brown sugar, molasses and vanilla for the syrup
- almond flour, sugar, egg, butter and vanilla for the frangipane base
- orange zest, cloves, ginger, pepper and salt for the spices (you’re going to look at the spice quantities below and think I’m being heavy-handed. Trust me, I’m not).
Are you ready? Let’s do it.
Gingerbread Bostock
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut challah or brioche
- ½ cup sliced almonds
- powdered sugar to dust
For the syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¾ TB molasses
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
For the frangipane
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 TB unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 2 TB sugar
- 2 TB brown sugar
- ¾ tsp groundginger
- ¾ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a small saucepan, make the simple syrup by combining the water, brown sugar, and molasses in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and ensure all the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla and mix well. Set aside.
- Make the almond paste by combining the melted butter, almond flour, white and brown sugars, spices and egg all together. Mix thoroughly until a smooth paste forms.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush the syrup on both sides of each slice of bread. Place evenly on the cookie sheet. Spread the almond paste evenly amongst the four slices of bread. Cover with sliced almonds.
- Bake 16-20 minutes until the top is golden. You can feel that the almond layer has a crusty feel to it. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes.
- Dust with powdered sugar to serve. Enjoy!