To make Knotts or Gumballs

To make Knotts or Gumballs is a traditional Elizabethan recipe for traditional plaited cakes flavoured with spices and rose water. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Elizabethan version of: To Make Knotts or Gumballs.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

20 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Makes:

Rating:

Tags : Wild Food Bread Recipes Baking Recipes Cake Recipes British Recipes

Original Recipe

To make Knotts or Gumballs

To make Knotts or Gumballs: Take 12 Yolkes of Egges, & 5 Whites, a pound of searced Sugar, half a pound of Butter washed in Rose Water, 3 quarters of an ounce of Mace finely beaten, a little Salt dissolved in Rose Water, half an ounce of Caroway-seeds, Mingle all theise together with as much Flower as will worke it up in paste, & soe make it Konttes or Rings or What fashion you please. Bake them as Bisket-bread, but upon Pye-plates.

Modern Redaction

Ingredients:

45g butter
1 tbsp rose water
120g sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp ground mace
1 tsp aniseed
1 tsp caraway seed
240g flour

Method:

Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy then add the rosewater and mix in thoroughly. Add the eggs to this mixture and mix-in thoroughly. Add the spices and mix these in thoroughly. Finally add the flour a little at a time and mix this in to make a stiff dough. Cut the dough into four pieces and form into long 'sausages' about 5–6 mm in diameter.

Form these into plaits, knots, or rings (about the size that one person can eat), place on a lightly greased baking sheet and cook in an oven pre-heated to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4) for 15–20 minutes.