Traditional gingerbread recipe?

[VocalMinority]

I just bought an old book about Christmas in Germany (where I was born and lived my first few years).  It had mouth-watering photos of gingerbread men that were 3-dimensional and actually made out of bread and decorated with nuts and raisins.  The book described them as sweet and spicy.

Of course, you can find a million recipes for flat gingerbread cookies.  I've also found a couple for cake-like "gingerbread" that looks like banana or zucchini bread.  But sweet breads like that tend to be so crumbly that I don't see how you could reasonably shape them into men.

The gingerbread men in this book looked like crusty yeast rolls, brushed with egg (or perhaps butter), so they were shiny.  But also gingery and sweet!

Do any of you have such a recipe?

[gardenmommy]

That sounds yummy!  

[dbsam]

I am subbing to see the responses.

I looked through a few of my father's old cookbooks - one, an old Lutheran cookbook, had bread recipes from around the world including holiday breads.  None of the recipes mentioned forming the loaves into gingerbread men.   Although I found a candycane bread recipe!  I also found my mom's old Slovak cookbook...nothing there either.

I’m so glad I stumbled on this thread.  I have not looked at these cookbooks since my father passed away years ago.  I am remembering him making bismarks, julekake, and stollen.  I've never made any of these but I am going to try some of the easier recipes.

[Bantams]

Lebkuchen!

Sorry, I don't have a recipe for you - I just discovered what it is online.