Baking a Christmas Gingerbread House

Baking at home for Christmas, to me, always brings out the warm and fuzzy feeling of Christmas spirit. Maybe it’s the aroma of the seasonal spices like cinnamon and ginger, or is it the sherry and flowing mulled wine? Either way, making a gingerbread house is part of a Christmas tradition for all ages, and is especially fun decorating the house with elaborate icing and candy details. Using ginger in baking can be traced back as far as the ancient Romans who used spices in their food and drink for elaborate flavourings. Early 11th century crusaders returned from the Middle East with exotic spices and found that using ginger in bread preserved their loaves for longer. Shaping the gingerbread as a firm crisp biscuit was first developed in the 13th century in Nuremberg Germany, now the ‘gingerbread capital of the world’. The guild employed skilled master bakers to bake and shape the gingerbread into elaborate and complicated works of art in which the custom spread across Europe. German immigrants spreading across to Sweden took with them the tradition and recipe where early references exist of Swedish Nuns baking gingerbread for easing indigestion. By the 17th century gingerbread shapes like hearts, stars and animals were sold in specialised shops and seasonal markets - even outside churches on Sundays. Giving decorated gingerbread shapes with names and embellishments became tradition around birthdays and Christmas. In modern times Christmas markets sell gingerbread in a variety of building shapes like cabins, castles, churches and traditional shaped houses. Piped icing is used to depict snow, with sweets and candies for the roof and a variety of details.

Gingerbread House by Kitchen Craft

Ingredients for the Gingerbread:

butter - 175g (6oz) light brown sugar - 200g (7oz) lemon zest - 1 teaspoon lemon juice - 1 ½ tablespoons black treacle - 150g (5oz) 2 eggs plain flour - 375g (13oz) baking powder - 1 dessertspoon ground ginger - 1 tablespoon ground allspice - 1 dessertspoon

For the glue/icing:

6 egg whites icing sugar, sifted - 1.75kg (4lb)

Method:

1. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and treacle then gradually beat in 2 eggs. 2. Sift in the flour, baking powder and spices together then stir into the creamed mixture. 3. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour. 4. Divide the dough into 6 portions - 2 slightly larger than the others, leaving some for the four decorative cutters. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to approximately the size of the side wall and the end wall using the large rectangular cutter and the side wall cutter then cut out two of each. Roll out and cut two rectangular pieces using the large rectangular cutter for the roof. In addition you can choose to cut the tree, window, chimney and gingerbread man decorations using gingerbread or fondant using the remaining dough and four cutters. Finally transfer the gingerbread onto greased baking trays. 5. In a preheated 190°C / Gas mark 5 oven, bake gingerbread for 10 minutes, or until crisp. When removing from the oven, leave the gingerbread on the baking trays for a few minutes to set, then transfer to wire racks. Leave out overnight to harden. 6. Lightly whisk 2 egg whites then gradually beat in approximately 1/3 of the icing sugar. The icing should be of a smooth consistancy while able to stand in firm peaks. Spread or pipe a 23cm (9 in) line of icing onto a cake board, and press in one of the side walls so that it sticks firmly and stands upright. If necessary, you can spread or pipe a little extra icing along either side which will help to support it. Then take an end wall and ice both the side edges. Spread or pipe a line of icing on the board at a right angle to the first wall then press the end wall into position. Repeat this process with the other two walls until they are all in position. Leave the walls to harden together for at least two hours before putting on the roof. Spread or pipe a thick layer of icing on top of all the walls then fix the roof pieces into position. The roof should overlap the walls to create the eaves. Finally, pipe or spread a little icing along the crest of the roof to hold the two pieces firmly together. Leave overnight to set firmly. 7. When you are ready to decorate, make the remaining icing. First of all lightly whisk 4 egg whites in a large bowl and mix in the remaining icing sugar as before. You can then use this to make the snow on the roof and to stick various sweets on for decoration. You can also use the five small cutters to make a chimney, a decorative window, a door, a gingerbread man and a tree outside the house with rolled coloured fondant. Finish with a fine dusting of sifted icing sugar.

The Kit:

Gingerbread House Kit Sieve Rolling Pin Bakeware Cooling Rack Whisk Mixing Bowl Icing Sets