ginger bread - its a pile of crumbles!!

[Rarily]

I've just made two batches of gingerbread but the 'pastry' goes rock solid and crumbles on cooling and I can't roll it out. What have I done wrong???

"on cooling"

what do you mean? you aren't cooking it prior to rolling it are you?

Foolproof even I can make it recipe a kind MNer posted for me

4 oz marg or butter or combination
4 oz sugar, pref soft brown
2 tbsp syrup
2 tbsp treacle
10 oz sr flour
1 teasp ginger
1 teasp mixed spice or half teasp cinnamon and half teasp nutmeg

Oven Gas Mark 5/180C
Warm marg, treacle & syrup in a pan.
Mix dry together in a bowl.
Add warmed mixture to dry ingredients and mix.
Leave for 5 mins.
Roll out on floured board & cut out.
Cook for 5 to 10 mins.

I've heated up the sugar to boiling point, added the butter and then put in the flour.... Maybe I've cooked the flour in the sugar! (it tastes quite nice!)

I thought the sugar needed to be dissolved. Not sure if this is the case. Thanks for such quick replies!

Boiling point

I just gently melt the sugar into the syrup on a very very low heat. Like making flapjacks or krispy cakes...

Sounds like you've made gingerbread toffee or fudge btw, shame you didn't skip the flour - the only things I know of that need sugar at boiling point are fudge and jam

Yum, sounds like the start of a delicious lime cheesecake with a ginger biscuit base. Much nicer than gingerbread anyway.

Yes I thought it was a bit toffee like!! :) I've got the crumbles stored up and wondered what to do with them so will try out a cheesecake. (wait for the next post - help my cheesecake is curdled...)
THanks to all of you!

This recipe was easy although I did halve it.

ThanksHellhasnofury - will look at that one too. At least there's no cooking the sugar!