Sugar Bread
From the treasured pages of Cookbook
Unknown Author
Sugar Bread
"Take fine Searched Sugar and take a few anas seeds and mix with it the gume Dragon and Musk and keep them together in rose water then take so much of that as will make the sugar and make it Cake Dough. See you work it very well, and put upon any Stamp you please. Take Vermilion yellow pouder and orange and mix them severall with Gumm Arabick and paint your Bread as you please after they are dryed and when they are painted dry them again."
Note on the Original Text
The recipe is written in the direct, instructive style of early modern English manuscripts, assuming prior kitchen knowledge and omitting precise measurements. Spellings can appear odd to the modern eye—‘gume dragon’ refers to gum tragacanth, and ‘anas seeds’ to anise seeds. The whimsical list of colors—‘Vermilion yellow pouder and orange’—reflects both the cook’s palate and the popularity of brightly painted sugarwork for table display. Ingredient quantities are left up to the reader, relying on instinct and experience.
Title
Cookbook (1706)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Unknown
Era
1706
Publisher
Unknown
Background
Step back to the early 18th century with this charming culinary collection, brimming with period recipes that tantalize the tastebuds and offer a delicious glimpse into historic kitchens.
Kindly made available by
Folger Shakespeare Library
This recipe hails from early 18th-century England, circa 1706, a time when sugarcraft was a prized art in elite and middle-class households. Sugar was still considered a luxury item, often molded and painted for feasts and festive gifts. Scented confections with spices, gums, and floral waters were all the rage at banquets and tea-tables, blurring the lines between medicine, luxury, and artistry. The original manuscript, 'W.a.111', reflects the creativity and resourcefulness of cooks in a period when even a simple sweet could be elevated to a miniature work of art.
The cook would have used a mortar and pestle to grind and mix the sugar and aromatics. The dough was shaped with the hands and pressed into wooden or ceramic molds or hand-carved stamps, popular tools for making decorated sweets. A small brush—often of hog's bristle—was used to paint the dried sugar breads with bespoke edible colors mixed with gum arabic, before leaving them to dry in a cool pantry or by a hearth.
Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Servings
12
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 9 oz icing (confectioners') sugar, sieved
- 1 tsp (about 1/12–1/10 oz) whole anise seeds
- 1/30–1/15 oz tragacanth gum (or substitute with gum arabic)
- A few drops rose water
- Less than 1/250 oz natural musk or 1 drop musk extract (optional, omit if unavailable)
- 1/30–1/15 oz edible vermilion (or red food coloring)
- 1/30–1/15 oz turmeric powder (for yellow coloring)
- A small amount orange food coloring or a blend of turmeric and red coloring
- 1 tsp gum arabic solution (for painting)
Instructions
- To recreate this enchanting 18th-century sugar bread, begin by mixing about 9 ounces of finely sifted (confectioners’) sugar with a teaspoon (about 1/12 to 1/10 ounce) of whole anise seeds.
- Moisten the mixture with a few drops of rose water infused with a small amount (about 1/30 ounce) of tragacanth gum (gum dragon).
- If available, add a tiny pinch (less than 1/250 ounce) of natural musk or a few drops of musk extract, though this aromatic note can be omitted if unavailable.
- Knead everything into a stiff, moldable dough—a little more rose water can be added if needed.
- Press small portions firmly into decorative molds or stamps.
- Let these dry until hard.
- For decoration, prepare edible paints by mixing a small amount (about 1/30–1/15 ounce each) of edible vermilion (or red food coloring), turmeric (for yellow), and a touch of orange food coloring with a drop or two of gum arabic dissolved in water.
- Once the molded sugar breads are dry, paint them as desired, then allow them to dry thoroughly before enjoying or gifting.
Estimated Calories
100 per serving
Cooking Estimates
It takes about 20 minutes to mix and shape the sugar dough, plus 12 hours to dry the molded sweets until they're hard. Each sugar bread is small and rich in sugar, so each serving will have about 100 calories. This recipe makes around 12 molded sugar breads.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
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