Moravian Sugar Cake, spice crisp cookies and more are inspired by trip to Winston-Salem

Winkler Sugar Cakes.jpg
Sugar Cakes (Photo by Jay Sinclair )

It was cold and windy when I walked along the cobbled sidewalk in Old Salem, the historic district of Winston-Salem, N.C. The area features a living history museum that interprets the restored Moravian community. The aroma of freshly baked goods wafted through the chilly afternoon air. I followed my nose to an old bakery that was offering a crusty onion bread and sugar cake (also called sugar bread) still warm from the huge brick ovens. 

Although the onion bread was quite tasty, I took a second piece of the sweet bread that is made with butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. I learned from the baker that it's a traditional Moravian treat that can be enjoyed hot or cold, for breakfast or as a dessert. I took two breads back with me to the hotel.

I was quite curious about the Moravian community that settled in the area in the 1700s. The Moravians were a Protestant denomination that began in 1457 in Bohemia and Moravia, now part of the Czech Republic. Their first settlement in North American was in Savannah, Ga., in 1735, but eventually they moved to Piedmont. N.C., in 1753. In 1766, construction began in Salem to build an economic, religious and administrative center for their community.

The next afternoon, I returned to Old Salem and strolled through a beautiful cemetery shaded by giant gingko trees. When I was there in November, the bright, gold leaves fluttered in the late afternoon wind giving an ethereal light in the setting sun. I wandered again to Winkler's Bakery where I purchased several packages of paper-thin spicy ginger-molasses cookies, which are traditionally served at Christmas. Several sugar breads, gingerbread and honey-wheat bread were also added to my purchases.

You might want to try these during the holidays or anytime. The Sugar Cake is adapted from 

Sugar Cake

1 russet potato (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water

2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup granulated sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 egg

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

2-1/2 to 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into bits

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Put the potato in a saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Drain the potato well and force it through a ricer into a bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the water.

In a small bowl, proof the yeast in the remaining 1/2 cup water until the mixture foams, about 5 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yeast mixture, the mashed potato, the sugar, butter, egg and salt. Add 2-1/2 cups of flour and stir until the dough is well blended. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it for 8 to 10 minutes, adding as much of the remaining 1/2 cup flour as is necessary to form a smooth and elastic dough. Butter a large bowl with some of the melted butter and add the dough, turning it to coat evenly with the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a -warm place until it doubles in size, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Punch the dough down. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Butter a 13- by- 9-inch baking pan with the remaining melted butter. Press the dough evenly into the prepared baking pan and let it rise, covered with a kitchen towel, in a warm place until it puffs, 30 to 45 minutes.

Make indentations all over the top of the dough with your thumb and scatter the cold butter evenly over the top. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the dough. Bake the cake in the middle of the oven until it is dark brown, 20 to 25 minutes, and cooked through. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes and cut it into squares.

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I adapted these cookies from a recipe on

Moravian Spice Crisps

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

3 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened

1/4 cup mild molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet and set aside.

Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, pepper, cloves, baking soda and salt.

In another large bowl, with a mixer at low speed, beat the brown sugar with the margarine or butter until blended. Increase speed to high and beat until creamy, about 2 minutes. At medium speed, beat in the molasses until blended. With a spoon, stir in the flour mixture.

Drop the dough by rounded teaspoons, about 4 inches apart, onto the prepared cookie sheet. With your finger, press each into a 2-inch round. Bake until the cookies spread and darken, 8 to 10 minutes. Let the cookies remain on cookie sheet on wire rack for 3 minutes to cool slightly.

 With a thin knife, transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

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This recipe, from Evelyn Sellers, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, makes an enormous quantity of cookies - up to 8 pounds. Read through all the instructions before attempting it.

Moravian Molasses Cookies

Makes about 7 or 8 pounds of cookies

12 ounces  (3/4 pound) lard

4 oounces (1 stick) margarine

1 quart unsulfured molasses

4 tablespoons freshly ground cloves

4 tablespoons freshly ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons freshly ground dried ginger

1 pound light brown sugar

3 level tablespoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

About 4 pounds all-purpose flour

Melt the margarine and lard together and set aside to cool to lukewarm.

Put the molasses in a very large and heavy smooth-bottomed pot. Stir in the cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and the brown sugar. Turn to medium-high and start stirring with a wooden spoon until the mixture is warm, the sugar has dissolved, and all the spices are incorporated - 5 to 10 minutes. Do NOT bring it to a boil.

Put the soda and salt in a cup or small bowl and mix it with about 3 tablespoons of flour in a cup. Add that to the molasses mixture. Stir until completely dissolved, mashing any particles of soda against the side of the pot so that every bit is incorporated.

Pour in the cooled margarine and lard, and beat with a wooden spoon until completely blended. Allow the whole mixture to cool before adding the flour, or the dough will absorb more flour. Add about one-third of the flour mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon. Add the second third of flour and continue to mix.

Take the remaining third of flour and sprinkle a work surface thickly with some of it. Scrape all the dough out onto the floured surface, and begin to knead, flouring your hands frequently while you incorporate the remaining flour.

When the dough has become stiff and firm and far less sticky, roll it into a long tube and cut it into eight pieces, which will weigh roughly one pound each. Shape each ball into a disk, slapping the surface with your hands to smooth it (you'll see the lard rise to the surface, making each disk kind of shiny).

Put four disks of dough in each of two large plastic bags and seal. Allow to sit overnight on the countertop. The dough will swell some and the spice flavors will mellow and blend.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Cover a pastry or rolling board (or a square piece of plywood) with bleached muslin that's been washed several times, tacking it tightly around the edges. Flour the muslin and rub the flour into the cloth to coat it deeply. Roll the cookies as thin as possible, 1/16 to 1/32 of an inch. Cut with any cookie cutter you like, using tiny cutters such as hearts or circles to cut out little cookies in the spaces between larger cookies. (You can also gather the scraps and re-roll, but these cookies won't be as tender.)

Lift the cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Watch them, and don't let the cookies brown around the edges. Allow to cool on the pan for several minutes before lifting them onto cooling racks.

 As soon as they're completely cool, pack and store in an airtight container. If you're using cookie tins, seal the lid of the tin with masking tape. Any air creeping in will cause the cookies to soften.

Moravian Lovefeast Buns

Makes 18 to 20 buns

1 cake yeast

1/4 cup tepid water

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup soft butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup warm mashed potatoes

2 cups or more lukewarm water

Melted butter or cream for glazing

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Add sugar to beaten egg, then add softened butter, salt, warm mashed potatoes, and yeast mixture. Add alternately flour and warm water to make soft but firm dough. Knead until smooth on lightly floured board or in hands.

Cover with clean, warm cloth and set in warm place to rise until double in bulk. When dough has risen, punch down and make into buns 3 to 4 inches in diameter. (If preferred, any other shape may be made with this dough.) Place so they do not touch on greased sheets. Cover with warm cloth and let rise again.

Place in 400 degree oven and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Brush with cream or melted butter just before removing from stove.