Brig Advent Day 20: From Biscuit to Build Gingerbread Houses!

Summary

How to make your gingerbread people homeowners, recipes and inspiration for biscuits the icing and help construction.

Perhaps the most daunting bake of the holiday season is one of the least edible. Gingerbread and gingerbread houses became fixtures of Christmas, like many things, during the Victorian era however the houses themselves date back to the 16th century. As with Christmas trees, gingerbread is something Britain got from Germany. Unlike modern retellings, you would have to believe they are not from the Grimm Brothers’ retelling of Hansel and Gretel (in that version the house was made from bread, not gingerbread).  

The construction of a gingerbread house is a feat of engineering, ingenuity and creativity. With these tips and tricks, and step-by-step instructions, your gingerbread men can be homeowners too. 

First and foremost decide on your level of dedication, are you making the biscuit from scratch? Using pre-made dough,  or even a pre-built house? How committed are you to it being gingerbread? All important questions.  

The Biscuit

Going the first most traditional route making your own:

Ingredients 

• 250g of Unsalted Butter 

• 200g of dark muscovado sugar  (or 200g of white sugar mixed with 2 tbsp of molasses) 

• 8 tbsp golden syrup 

• 650g plain flour 

• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 

• 5 tsp Ground ginger

Step 0: Open a document on Canva, ensuring that you have access to the A4 or whatever paper size you have. Use the shapes in the free library and the sizing tool that can be accessed once you click on the shape then click position and type in the desired size. I found a triangle of 150 mm width and 75mm height for the front panels, on top of a rectangle of 150mm width and 100mm height. For the rectangular sides and roof pieces 100mm by 175mm fit well. Print these out, set them somewhere safe, and start baking. 

Step one: Preheat your oven to 170°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step Two: Using a saucepan, melt the butter, sugar and syrup and stir.

Step Three: Remove from the heat once the butter has fully melted and all the ingredients have combined.

Step Four: In a separate bowl Mix the flour, bicarb, and ginger together. 

Step Five: Create a well in the bowl of dry ingredients and pour in the butter-sugar mix.

Step Six: Stir until a stiff dough forms.

Step Seven: Flour your work surface and tip the dough out of the bowl.

Step Eight: Roll out to about 5 mm (about the height of a pencil rubber). 

Step Nine: Cover your knives and cutters with flour.

Step Ten: Use a stencil to cut out your walls and roof shapes.

Step Eleven: With the remaining dough cut out trees, men and anything else you wish to add to your holiday scene.

Step Twelve: Bake your gingerbread for 9-11 minutes.

Step Twelve: Leave to cool and set for at least 12 hours before attempting to construct your house.  

If you’re committed to baking but don’t have the resources to start from scratch, Tesco, and Aldi sell premade gingerbread dough. Do step 0, 7-12.

If baking is not on the cards, consider buying a pre-baked kit. These can be found in a variety of places, constructed or not. Or buy square biscuits such as Leibniz, or shortbread, or if you’re in a country that sells Graham crackers construct them that way. 

The Icing

Although a standard water icing is the easiest it is not very strong, buttercream (equal parts butter and icing sugar) has strength but takes a while to set, the best for a construction like this is a royal icing. Without a mixer, it is a bit of a workout but it truly is the best icing for the job. 

Ingredients 

• 4 egg whites 

• 800g of icing sugar 

• 2 tsp of lemon juice or cream of tartar

Step One: Beat your egg whites until frothy.

Step Two: Add in the icing sugar a few spoonful’s at a time making sure it’s fully incorporated before adding in more, once about half the icing sugar is in add the lemon juice (this is for stabilisation, not flavour other stabilisers such as cream of tartar can be used).

Step Three: Once all the icing sugar is beaten in continue to whisk until stiff peaks are formed.

Step Four: Add to a piping bag by folding the edges of a bag over a cup and tipping in your icing.

The Construction

Step One: Cover your chosen surface with tin foil, chopping boards, stiff pieces of cardboard, or plates are all acceptable.

Step Two: Decorate your gingerbread pieces with the royal icing outlines, at this stage only do large things like doors and windows.

Step Three: Spread a layer of royal icing covering the foil.  

Step Four: Carefully set one of the front and side pieces in the icing plate so they lean against each other.

Step Five: Ice up the interior wall and leave it to set for a few minutes.

Step Six: Place the next side wall ice again from the inside.

Step Seven: Take the last gingerbread wall and line the sides with icing before putting it in place. 

Step Eight: Firm up all sides with a layer of icing in the joints and let harden before tackling the roof.

Step Nine: Line both sides of the roof with royal icing, pray and place on your gingerbread house.

Step Ten: Repeat with the final piece and line the top with icing as well.

Step Eleven: Leave a minute or so to sit before decorating the rest to your heart’s content

Although you should be careful of the delicate structure this is where the joy and whimsy can prevail!

Feature Image credit: Spencer Haynes