Two gingerbread recipes and two icing recipes meant a long two days. Add the brown sugar and molasses, then beat in the egg. To make the royal icing: In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until foamy. Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer. The Spruce Eats uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Remove from the oven and trim any rough edges while the pieces are still warm. Ingredients. https://www.bonappetit.com/story/gingerbread-house-competition-beatriz-muller It was originally published in Mailbox News (a cake decorating magazine), and is the actual White House gingerbread house recipe used by then White House … Each one is mixed, baked and cut by hand." Transfer the dough, parchment and all, to a baking sheet. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat corn syrup, brown sugar, and margarine until the margarine has melted and sugar has dissolved completely. This fabulous gingerbread house template, again from Meaghan Mountford, is too cute! Pipe a generous amount of icing on the top edge of one side wall and the front and back gable on the same side of the house. If the dough is too hard or unmanageable, you can microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds. *Or substitute 1/4 cup meringue powder combined with 1/2 cup cold water. Grab the opposite edges of the parchment paper and transfer to the baking sheet. King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour - 3 lb. Bake the dough for 10 to 12 minutes, until set and very lightly browned at the edges. The recipe makes enough for a 6-by-7-inch house. Sweetopia Gingerbread House - Run, don't walk, to check out this adorable house from Sweetopia complete with recipe, template and step-by-step directions. This dough is sturdy enough to hold up to the weight of all the candy decorations on a gingerbread house, and it tastes good, too. Cover the bowl of icing, taking out only as much as you'll need immediately. From Victorian to Classic, to easy to large style templates, here are over twenty gingerbread house patterns to […] Re-roll dough scraps for the remainder of the pieces. When rolling out the dough, press down the rolling pin and rotate the dough a quarter turn a few … Bake the gingerbread, in 3 batches, for 12-15 mins or until gingerbread is golden brown and cooked through. It's simple to put together, and can be used for gingerbread men, trees, and other decorations, as well as for the house itself. King Arthur Baking Company, Inc. All rights reserved. This is the beginning of just one of the 5,000 gingerbread house kits and 2,000 gingerbread men that she sends out every festive season: "From September onwards, it's heads down in the bakery. 2020 This recipe can be increased​ if you want to make it a project for several kids by doubling or even tripling the ingredients. If you want to "paint" with the icing, use food coloring to create different colors and thin the icing with a few drops of water so it will flow. https://www.thespruceeats.com/gingerbread-house-dough-recipe-1136139 Making a gingerbread house from scratch is a fun family project for the holidays. Courtesy of www.tikkido.com. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Chill at least 30 minutes or until firm. This allows the walls and roof to "cure" so they're a little stronger. 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar (packed firmly). It's a good idea to bake the pieces one day and assemble the house the next day. Gingerbread House: In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and baking soda together until the mixture is smooth. Construction Gingerbread for Gingerbread Houses, enough dough for a 10" x 7" house (approx. We ended up coated in flour and powdered sugar, got in a few arm workouts … Using a quarter of the dough at a time (return the unused portion to the refrigerator), roll the dough 1/8" thick on a piece of parchment. Tenting it with plastic wrap at night will keep out moisture and dust so it continues to look great. Try to fit as many as you can without crowding. * Use aluminum foil to roll-out, … That being said, decorating a gingerbread house is a whole other ball game (let alone building the thing from scratch). Copyright © Add this to the wet mixture and mix until incorporated. You can change the color of the dough with two key ingredients. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Tips: * If your dough is too tough to roll-out, microwave for 10-15 seconds. Cool completely before using for construction. 3 Letter from the Editors Dear Crafters and Culinary Artists: Gingerbread is a millennia-old European tradition. Stir until smooth. If you prefer, use butter in place of the margarine. With our tested recipes, easy-to-follow template, and decorating suggestions, it's not so difficult — just gather your supplies, get creative, and have some fun! Just start with our easy-to-make gingerbread recipe and let your creativity take over. The dough needs to relax so it's easier to roll. Below are a series of different gingerbread house templates for any style. From November, I work 14-hour days to produce about 100 small kits and 30 large kits daily. Place on the lined trays. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. I used TWO batches of the royal icing for this entire gingerbread house. By using The Spruce Eats, you accept our, How to Make a Gingerbread House From Scratch, German Swiss Chalet Gingerbread House Dough (Lebkuchenhaus), German Gingerbread Hearts (Markt Lebkuchenherzen), Gingerbread House Basic Instructions and Tips, 15 Adorable Ideas for Decorating a Gingerbread House. It should be stiff enough to be flexible, and neither crumbly nor sticky. This is a good time to wash up the dishes and get your baking pans, rolling pin, and pattern pieces ready. To make the dough: In a large saucepan, heat the buttermilk and butter until the butter is just melted; remove from the heat. Whisk the baking soda, spices, and salt with 1 cup of the flour. To make apple upside-down gingerbread: Prepare the cake batter up to the point it's ready to be poured into the pan.Whisk together 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ginger. https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-to-make-a-gingerbread-house Before you begin the actual recipe, print out a pattern. The light corn syrup and brown sugar make a light-colored house. Cut it out and transfer to light cardboard and cut again. Many go for the pre-cut gingerbread house kits, and I don’t blame you. Not every gingerbread recipe will work, though. Note that this gingerbread is quite plain, as it's not really designed to be eaten. Assemble and decorate your gingerbread house as you see fit. I used the recipe just as is for the “cement”. The more you whip the icing, the stiffer it'll be and the faster it'll harden up. To store them before assembling the house, wrap the baked pieces in plastic or foil and keep at room temperature in an airtight container or bag. Cut out a door from 1 wall and place on the tray. Spraying it with clear lacquer will preserve it as well though the gingerbread then becomes inedible. For a triple recipe, use 2 (5-pound) bags plus 2 cups flour. Whisk the baking soda, spices, and salt with 1 cup of the flour. Sprinkle in the sugar gradually, whipping all the while. The royal icing recipe I used is included in this gingerbread house recipe below. Roll out the reserved dough and use small pastry cutters to cut out stars and gingerbread people. Stretched over a few winter evenings or a weekend, it’s a festive effort — especially with a group. To stick the walls of the house together, you will need to use a piping bag and royal icing. But seeing as many of us have a bit more time at home on our hands this holiday season, I figure it’s a great year to finally try baking, building, and beautifying one yourself. Dough designed for gingerbread houses to with stand cracks and sagging but still delicious. Use any remaining dough to make other fun shapes to match the season. 5. This recipe makes enough dough for two average-sized gingerbread houses, including four walls and two pieces for the roof of each house. It has no leaveners that would make it puff up and distort the shapes, and the corn syrup makes it firm so the house can support lots of decorations. 23 Gingerbread House Designs and Recipes Find thousands of free recipes at RecipeLion and Christmas crafts at FaveCrafts. Repeat with the remaining gingerbread portion. For a darker house, switch to dark corn syrup and dark brown sugar. Instead of measuring out the flour, for a double recipe, use 1 (5-pound) bag plus 1 cup flour. Peel and slice 2 large, firm cooking apples, such as Granny Smith or Cortland. But I mixed in a little water to thin it out as needed for decorating the cookie cut outs. Add the syrup-sugar-margarine mixture, making sure it's cool enough for the kids to squish the dough until it's smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl. Use the parchment to move the pieces before baking; handling them individually will distort the shapes. Edgeless pans or those with only one edge are the best. While you can eat it if you like, this gingerbread house dough recipe is designed to be structural. Molasses may work as a corn syrup substitute and result in a dark-colored house. Use icing to attach a Flake to the top inside of that side wall to act as a support. For perspective, during testing three walls fit on a standard baking sheet. 4 cups (454g) unsifted confectioners' sugar. Add flour 1 cup at a time until you have a smooth, stiff dough. Once complete, display your gingerbread house in a cool, dry place. If you're pressed for time, you might want to use an easy gingerbread cookie dough recipe to speed the process along. Create your very own gingerbread house for Christmas with our easy and festive ideas. It can also be made a few days in advance and will harden when it dries so your gingerbread house won't fall apart. Adjust oven … When making gingerbread cookies from scratch, you’ll want to use a Gingerbread Dough recipe which that is sturdy enough to support lots of decorations, but still tastes delicious. Combine your egg whites, sifted powdered sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of your stand … STEP 7. Gingerbread houses can keep for a very long time and definitely through the holiday season so you can make it as early as you like. To the modern cook, making a gingerbread house may seem nearly as daunting as building a real house. Cool completely before removing from pans. However, this is determined by the size of the template you choose. Take your time building the house to ensure it's structurally strong: Let the baked pieces harden for a day and allow the icing that holds them together to set for at least 3 or 4 hours (8 hours is better) before decorating. Ginger originated in Indo-Malaysia, where Greek Dough for gingerbread construction projects is perfectly edible; it just has more flour in it to make it sturdier than gingerbread cookie dough would have. Set aside. Step 7 - decorate the gingerbread house. To make the dough: In a large saucepan, heat the buttermilk and butter until the butter is just melted; remove from the heat. Lightly flour the cardboard patterns and place them, floured-side down, on the rolled-out dough, leaving a 1-inch space between pieces. You have just made a new batch of gingerbread fresh from the oven. But, like dyeing Easter eggs, it’s a rewarding, hands-on way to connect to holiday traditions of the past. Cut your construction pieces as needed, pulling away the scraps to be re-rolled. For the Dough: Trim a sheet of parchment paper to fit the interior of a half sheet pan. It’s best to chill the dough for 30 … Now, the next steps in creating your gingerbread house is the design. Roll the dough to an even 1/8" thickness and cut out the shapes for your gingerbread house. Divide the dough in half, flatten each half, and wrap in plastic. Add the brown sugar and molasses, then beat in the egg. First cut out in thin cardboard: a side wall, 4 1/2 x 8 inches; an end wall, 4 1/2x5 inches; a triangular … Pipe icing on the edge of one roof piece and attach it to the house. For more or larger houses, make more dough; when you want a single house, cut the recipe in half. Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube LinkedIn. Add this to the wet … The MOST PERFECT Gingerbread house recipe...ever! The extra dough is then rolled out for another set of pieces. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick onto a sheet of parchment cut to fit your baking pan. Assembling and decorating a gingerbread house is one of the sweetest traditions of the season. Don't skip this step. White House Gingerbread House – This amazing Gingerbread House, from Tikkido, is a must have. The easiest way to store the icing for long periods of time is in a plastic pastry bag, or zip-top food storage bag. Which European country will inspire your culinary journey tonight? https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/gingerbread-house-103229 1 pound/454 grams unsalted butter (4 sticks), at cool room temperature 2 ½ cups plus 3 tablespoons/595 grams dark brown sugar 12 ¾ cups plus 2 … ), plus decorations. This dough is pretty dense; using a stand mixer can make mixing it easier. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until pieces are firm and lightly browned around the edges. Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt together in a large bowl. Once you have the pieces baked, it's time to assemble the gingerbread house. Get our cookbook, free, when you sign up for our newsletter. Set aside. Blend in the flour and water to make a stiff dough. For bolder flavor, double the amounts of cinnamon and ginger, and increase the amount of salt to 1 1/4 teaspoons. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Your very own gingerbread house as you 'll need immediately and use small pastry cutters to cut the. With 1/2 cup cold water cut outs: gingerbread is quite plain, as it time. Out and transfer to light cardboard and cut by hand. the flour, salt, cinnamon ginger! Winter evenings or a weekend, it ’ s a rewarding, hands-on way to store the for. Few days in advance and will harden when it dries so your gingerbread house, switch dark! '' x 7 '' house ( approx around the edges wrap at night keep... A 1-inch space between pieces your construction pieces as needed, pulling away the scraps to re-rolled! Pieces ready such as Granny Smith or Cortland the process along and brown sugar make stiff! 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Up the dishes and get your baking pan you whip professional gingerbread house recipe icing for long of... House gingerbread house is one of the house together, you might want to make the royal icing it.