For more or larger houses, make more dough; when you want a single house, cut the recipe in half. Create a gingerbread house pattern by cutting out pieces of stiff paper (like that of a manila folder) … For a triple recipe, use 2 (5-pound) bags plus 2 cups flour. Cover with a plastic bag and store in a box with some Styrofoam "peanuts" to protect your house from damage. 2. You'll want to give yourself several days to make a typical gingerbread house from scratch so you'll have time to make, cut, and bake the dough; to assemble the house and let it dry; and finally to decorate. For perspective, during testing three walls fit on a standard baking sheet. The piping bag makes it much easier to get into corners when assembling the Gingerbread House | Photo by Vanessa Greaves, Children's Gingerbread House | Photo by Momma Beth, How to Make a Christmas Gingerbread House. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6 (fan 180C). I used TWO batches of the royal icing for this entire gingerbread house. We made this gingerbread house a three day project. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. Cover at night to seal out moisture and dust; lightly drape a clean trash bag over the house and base. Icing is too stiff. It should be thick and stiff. Roll the dough to an even 1/8" thickness and cut out the shapes for your gingerbread house. Add this to the wet mixture and mix until incorporated. Before you begin the actual recipe, print out a pattern. 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. 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. Download Gingerbread House template. For a darker house, switch to dark corn syrup and dark brown sugar. NOTE: We make houses by cutting out our house design (the 2 sides of the roof, two sides, a front and a back of the house) on graph paper, and then placing the graph paper shapes on the dough and cutting the dough shapes out with a knife. Gingerbread house template 2. Start by laying the panels down on the base with the four corners touching, as though the house was flattened from the inside out. Butter knife, small offset spatula, or flat s… Assemble and decorate your gingerbread house as you see fit. Read all instructions before you begin: you will need to double the gingerbread recipe to have enough dough. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Pastry bags and decorating tips 8. Who says gingerbread houses are just for Christmas? Use extra dough scraps for decorative cut-outs. 5. Royal Icing: Decide how much royal icing you want to use. Trace the rectangle with a line of royal icing. Stand up the back panel in the line of royal icing you traced along its base, so the back panel and and the side panel meet and are held together by icing . If the dough is too hard or unmanageable, you can microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds. 1. https://www.thespruceeats.com/gingerbread-house-dough-recipe-1136139 Try to fit as many as you can without crowding. Add comma separated list of ingredients to include in recipe. The dough needs to relax so it's easier to roll. Most people won't think twice about serving basic cornbread when is on the table. Re-roll dough scraps for the remainder of the pieces. Cool. Base: plywood, heavy cardboard, or cardboard cake board 7. 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! Hold in place until the icing firms up. Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ground ginger … You can also find 1000s of Food Network's best recipes from top chefs, shows and experts. Multiple day project. Add the brown sugar and molasses, then beat in the egg. Supplies: 1. You may need super glue to adhere top-heavy items, like lamp posts. House doesn't look picture-perfect. Don't worry; you'll be able to fill gaps and cover errors later with more icing and decorations. Don't skip this step. 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. If the gingerbread has spread, you may need to trim the pieces while still warm to give straight edges. Muller is a gingerbread champion—most recently, she won second place at the National Gingerbread House Competition in North Carolina (where she placed first in 2016 and third in 2017). Which European country will inspire your culinary journey tonight? This video for Children's Gingerbread House will take you through the steps — note that you'll use the template above to cut out the pieces. Put the egg whites in a large bowl, sift in the icing sugar, then stir to make a thick, smooth icing. Keep the tip of your pastry bag covered with a damp cloth in between decorating to prevent hardening. Lightly flour the cardboard patterns and place them, floured-side down, on the rolled-out dough, leaving a 1-inch space between pieces. Best Gingerbread House Icing Recipe - How to Make Edible Glue Apply candy decorations by putting a small dab of icing to the underside of the candy and holding it in place until set. 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. … Once cold, put the gingerbread in an airtight tin and leave overnight until really crisp – if you decorate the house with icing and sweets too soon, the dough may go soft and the house … Icing is too loose. To make the dough: In a large saucepan, heat the buttermilk and butter until the butter is just melted; remove from the heat. You'll want to give yourself several days to make a typical gingerbread house from scratch so you'll have time to make, cut, and bake the dough; to assemble the house and let it dry; and finally to decorate. To assemble, you'll use royal icing to "glue" a side panel to the back panel. Aluminum foil 6. (Just ask Hansel and Gretel). Apply a generous amount of icing to the vertical edge that will touch the back panel. Moisture is a decorated cookie's worst enemy: display the house in a cool dry place. While you can eat it if you like, this gingerbread house dough recipe is designed to be structural. Stand up a side panel in the line of royal icing you traced along its base. A gingerbread house kit (We suggest the Wilton Ready-to-Decorate Gingerbread Giant A-Frame House). Use any remaining dough to make other fun shapes to match the season. Stir & Knead for 15 minutes - Add in the flour and stir until just combined, then turn the dough out … This is a good time to wash up the dishes and get your baking pans, rolling pin, and pattern pieces ready. Edgeless pans or those with only one edge are the best. Place the candies, icing, decorating bags and decorating tips off to the side. Cool completely before removing from pans. Get the kids involved, too, and weave some magical Christmas memories 1 hr and 12 mins Or you might like to set the house at an angle instead of squared up. Use cans and cartons to support the panels until they dry completely; overnight is ideal, but depending on temperature and humidity, your royal icing might dry faster. Add a bit of water, one teaspoon at a time, mixing thoroughly until the icing loosens up a bit. Day 3: Grab the kiddos and set them loose with candy, cookies, sugar sprinkles and their creativity. Assembling and decorating a gingerbread house is one of the sweetest traditions of the season. I used the recipe just as is for the “cement”. This helps the panels meet at right angles when you "glue" them together, and provides extra stability. Trees? https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/swedish-gingerbread-house.html Instead of measuring out the flour, for a double recipe, use 1 (5-pound) bag plus 1 cup flour. Cut it out and transfer to light cardboard and cut again. Let cool completely. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the gingerbread to ½ cm thick. Add comma separated list of ingredients to exclude from recipe. Makes about 3 dozen 3" gingerbread people. This dough is pretty dense; using a stand mixer can make mixing it easier. Preheat oven to 160°C (140°C fan forced). Melt the butter, sugar and syrup together in a large pan. In a large saucepan, melt shortening over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes. © Copyright 2020, 20 Things to Cook This Month That Have Nothing to Do With Thanksgiving, 15 Vegan Muffin Recipes for Easy Breakfasts, 15 Comfort Food Dinners That Start With Creamy Alfredo Sauce, 2-Ingredient Snacks That Are Too Easy Not to Make, Use Your Stale Bread in These Savory Bread Puddings, 13 Spiked Apple Cider Cocktails to Celebrate the Season, 15 Comfort Food Casseroles Inspired by World Cuisines, 12 Recipes to Turn Extra Chicken into Healthy Main Dish Salads, 15 Ground Beef Soup Recipes for Easy Weeknight Dinners, Ground Turkey Slow Cooker Recipes for Easy Weeknight Meals, 11 Top Chicken Casseroles That Lean to the Healthy Side, 12 Classic Italian Recipes Made Easy in the Instant Pot, redecorate your gingerbread house for the holidays, Base: plywood, heavy cardboard, or cardboard cake board, Butter knife, small offset spatula, or flat sandwich spreader, Glue gun (optional, only if you don't plan on eating the house), Tweezers, toothpicks, small paintbrushes for decorating, Cans and cartons to prop up the panels during assembly. To stick the walls of the house together, you will need to use a piping bag and royal icing. Cookie sheets 5. Save time and make accessory items ahead of time: snowmen, trees, carts, candles, and fences can be made while you're waiting for the house to dry. Gingerbread Dough Recipe A Free Printable Gingerbread House Template Gingerbread House Decoration Tips and Tricks How to Put a Gingerbread House Together. You don't want it too loose, otherwise it takes a very long time to dry. And remember, perfection is overrated. Grab the opposite edges of the parchment paper and transfer to the baking sheet. And when Christmas comes around, simply redecorate your gingerbread house for the holidays with plenty of white icing and brightly colored candies. The Spruce Eats uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Into a large bowl, sift together flour, spices, baking soda, salt, and pepper; set aside. Any leftover dough can be cut into Christmas trees or little gingerbread men. Combine your egg whites, sifted powdered sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of your stand … This recipe makes enough dough for two average-sized gingerbread houses, including four walls and two pieces for the roof of each house. That forms a rectangle where the house will stand when the panels are put together. Recipe Yield: One gingerbread house plus 6-8 3-inch cookies. Attach the second side panel to the back panel as in step 3, and support it until it firms up. Gingerbread House Recipe Ingredients Gingerbread … Gingerbread dough and royal icing: double the recipe if you're making a large house 3. Once complete, display your gingerbread house in a cool, dry place. Bake a gingerbread house with our simple biscuit recipe and design template. ; Day 2: Glue the gingerbread house together with the special icing.Let the house dry for several hours or overnight. To ensure they're truly firm enough to build with, you can leave them in your oven as it cools to give them extra time to dry out. Unwrap the gingerbread house pieces and make sure they have no cracks or chips. Have a plan for decorating. Make the royal icing: In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of … It’s best to chill the dough for 30 … It can also be made a few days in advance and will harden when it dries so your gingerbread house won't fall apart. Spraying it with clear lacquer will preserve it as well though the gingerbread then becomes inedible. Method. Attach the front panel. If you prefer, use butter in place of the margarine. Day 1: Make the dough, cut out the template pieces, bake the gingerbread, let the gingerbread cool. Halloween is a perfect time for a gingerbread house, too. https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/gingerbread-house-103229 This allows the walls and roof to "cure" so they're a little stronger. The royal icing recipe I used is included in this gingerbread house recipe below. Stir until smooth. But switching up your side dishes can bring a refreshing change to a classic comfort food dish. Gingerbread house is about 7 inches tall (with chimney) and 6 inches wide. Visualize the "yard." I suggest making the entire recipe … Cool for 10 minutes, then whisk in … A fence? For a kid-friendly project, make this Gingerbread House recipe from Food Network, equipped with gumdrops, licorice, peppermint and, of course, Royal Icing. And watch videos demonstrating recipe prep and cooking techniques. This recipe can be increased​ if you want to make it a project for several kids by doubling or even tripling the ingredients. First cut out in thin cardboard: a side wall, 4 1/2 x 8 inches; an end wall, 4 1/2x5 inches; a triangular … Molasses may work as a corn syrup substitute and result in a dark-colored house. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. Get our cookbook, free, when you sign up for our newsletter. Making a gingerbread house from scratch is a fun family project for the holidays. Not every gingerbread recipe will work, though. Bake the gingerbread house pieces for 12-15 minutes, until they have hardened and baked through. Once you have the pieces baked, it's time to assemble the gingerbread house. Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger and mixed spice into a large bowl. Curved Roof Gingerbread House Recipe. Tenting it with plastic wrap at night will keep out moisture and dust so it continues to look great. Start by unpacking the kit. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Gingerbread houses can last up to a year, if you choose not to eat them. However, this is determined by the size of the template you choose. It's a good idea to bake the pieces one day and assemble the house the next day. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gingerbread-house-recipe1 Barbara Rolek is a former chef who became a cooking school instructor and award-winning food writer. (You can use a hair dryer on the "cool" setting to help speed things along.) Will you have a walkway? By using The Spruce Eats, you accept our, How to Make a Gingerbread House From Scratch, German Gingerbread Hearts (Markt Lebkuchenherzen), Shortcut for a Gingerbread House and Cookie Dough, German Swiss Chalet Gingerbread House Dough (Lebkuchenhaus), 26 Winter Dishes and Holiday Treats for Kids. Super strong, great for cutting out intricate templates and does not spread when baking. Line 2x baking trays with baking paper. Cut out the sections using the templates, and then slide the gingerbread onto the baking sheets. Spray with a clear lacquer for maximum protection. The light corn syrup and brown sugar make a light-colored house. 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar (packed firmly). Whisk the baking soda, spices, and salt with 1 cup of the flour. Allow the baked gingerbread to cool thoroughly before assembling. You can change the color of the dough with two key ingredients. This recipe is enough to make one gingerbread house using the template included in the blog post ↓ Recipe ↓ Video Print Recipe… Additional candies, if desired; Step 1: Unpack the Kit. The extra dough is then rolled out for another set of pieces. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat corn syrup, brown sugar, and margarine until the margarine has melted and sugar has dissolved completely. Set aside. If you're pressed for time, you might want to use an easy gingerbread cookie dough recipe to speed the process along. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until pieces are firm and lightly browned around the edges. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick onto a sheet of parchment cut to fit your baking pan. Use cans and cartons to support the panels while they dry. Rolling pin 4. Here's how to decorate a Halloween gingerbread house. 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. Use tweezers to adhere small items to the house. In a saucepan melt the butter, golden syrup and sugar, stirring occasionally. Add a bit more powdered sugar. Make royal icing ahead of time and keep covered with plastic wrap touching the surface of the icing at all times to prevent it from drying out. Follow recipe directions to make, cut, and bake your gingerbread house pieces. Use the parchment to move the pieces before baking; handling them individually will distort the shapes. Adjust the consistency of the icing by adding more egg whites if the icing is too dry or more powdered sugar if it is too wet. Think about how you want your house to look and what candy should go where. Allrecipes is part of the Meredith Food Group. A fool-proof assembly method, if you're not going to eat the gingerbread, is to use a glue gun. 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.