Low-FODMAP buckwheat Lebkuchen (German gingerbread) with maple syrup

Low-FODMAP Lebkuchen (German gingerbread) with maple syrup instead of honey, buckwheat and rice flour, hazelnuts and gingerbread spice. Vegan, no wheat or spelt: 32 soft rounds with a cocoa glaze.

At a glance

• Serves 16
• Prep time: 90 min
• Cooking time: 25 min
• Total time: 115 min
• Calories: 201 kcal per serving
• Protein: 4 g
• Fat: 11 g
• Carbs: 21 g

Ingredients

• 15g ground linseed
• 60ml water
• 50g coconut oil
• 150g buckwheat flour
• 120g rice flour
• 100g hazelnut, ground
• 15g cocoa powder
• 4 tsp gingerbread spice
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp orange zest
• 1 pinch of salt
• 200g maple syrup
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 50g cocoa butter
• 20g cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

Method

You’ll need: oven · mixing bowl

1. Stir the ground linseed into the water and leave it to soak for 10 min. Melt the coconut oil over a low heat.
2. Mix the buckwheat flour, rice flour, hazelnut, cocoa powder, gingerbread spice, bicarbonate of soda, orange zest and salt in a bowl.
3. Whisk the maple syrup, coconut oil, lemon juice and ground linseed until smooth. Work the mixture into the dry ingredients and chill the soft dough for 30 min.
4. Preheat the oven to 175 °C (155 °C fan). With wet hands, shape 32 balls, place them on two baking trays lined with baking paper and press them into 5 cm rounds.
5. Bake one tray at a time for 11–12 min at 175 °C, until the edges are firm and the centre gives slightly when pressed. Leave the rounds to cool on a rack.
6. Melt the cocoa butter over a pan of warm water and stir in the cocoa powder and maple syrup for the glaze until smooth. Brush it over the rounds and leave it to set for 30 min.

Good to know

Lebkuchen are traditionally a honey dough. Here maple syrup takes over from the honey, and buckwheat adds a full, slightly nutty flavour. The rounds are soft, spiced and less sweet than the classic kind – two make a portion.

Swaps

Hazelnut → ground walnut (still low FODMAP in this amount). Coconut oil → butter (no longer vegan). Gingerbread spice → 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger and 1 pinch of cloves (your own mix). Rice flour → buckwheat flour (fuller flavour, slightly firmer).

Cooking tips

While warm the dough is sticky; after 30 min in the fridge you can shape it with wet hands. Take the rounds out while the centre still gives – they firm up as they cool.

Storage

Keep for 2 weeks in a tin; without the glaze you can freeze them for 2 months.

Allergens

Contains hazelnuts; no gluten grains, no milk and no egg. Suitable for children and during pregnancy.

Frequently asked questions

Can you replace honey with maple syrup in Lebkuchen?

Yes. Maple syrup is runnier than honey, so the dough is softer. Let it firm up in the fridge for 30 min and add a spoonful of lemon juice so the bicarbonate of soda can work.

Is Lebkuchen low FODMAP?

Classic Lebkuchen usually isn’t: honey, wheat or spelt flour and often dried fruit are high in FODMAPs. These rounds are classed under our low-FODMAP rule, based on data from Monash University, as long as you stick to two per portion. What you tolerate is individual.

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