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1
About an hour ahead of time, unwrap the butter and place it in a large bowl.
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2
Use a table knife to cut it into 1-inch pieces, and let it stand at room temperature to soften.
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3
Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350F (325F if youre using a glass pan).
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4
Put a little soft butter on a paper towel, a piece of waxed paper, or a butter wrapper, and lightly grease the bottom and corners of a 9- by 13-inch pan.
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5
(No need to grease the sides.)
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6
Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder salt, cinnamon, powdered ginger, and cloves in a medium-sized bowl.
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7
Whisk slowly to blend, and then stir in the grated fresh ginger, whisking until its distributed.
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8
Set this aside.
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9
Crumble the brown sugar into the bowl with the softened butter.
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10
Use a handheld electric mixer at high speed (or if you dont have one, use a whisk, with enthusiasm) to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
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11
Add the molasses and then the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
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12
Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times during this process.
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13
Add the vanilla extract, and continue to beat for another minute or two, until everything is well combined.
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14
Add about a third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, slowly whisking just enough to mostly blend.
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15
Then pour in approximately a third of the buttermilk, and stir it in.
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16
Continue with another third of the buttermilk.
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17
Then repeat with the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk.
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18
As you do this, switch to stirring with a spoon when the batter thickens, and mix from the bottom of the bowl after each additionjust enough to thoroughly blend without overmixing.
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19
(Its okay if the finished batter is not completely smooth.)
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20
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, taking care to scrape all of it in with a rubber spatula.
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21
Then use the spatula to spread the batter evenly.
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22
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is springy to the touch and/or a toothpick inserted all the way into the center comes out clean.
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23
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the gingerbread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting it into 24 rectangular pieces.
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24
Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.
