Sunday, December 30, 2007

Ginger bread house



There are loads of ways to do this. I’ve heard that they sell kits, where all you have to do is put it together, and decorate it. Some people make the cookies themselves, but buy ready made icing. However you do it, it’s a really fun activity.

I used a basic gingerbread recipe. The recipe, plus the dimensions of all the parts is a lot of typing, so I’ll say that you can easily find a recipe, and any one is as good as the next I think. I’ll just try to give some tips.

Figure out what parts you need first, and draw them on paper using exact dimensions. Cut out the paper ones, and once you have rolled out the dough, place the paper cut-outs right on the dough so you can trace around them with a sharp knife.

My main advice to you, is make sure that your icing is the right consistency. It has to be so thick that it is almost dough, but stickier. The first batch I made was a little thin, and it took forever for it to set. We had to put the house together, prop it up on all sides (it took all of my ramekins), and leave it till the next day. The second batch was the right thickness, and it held on the chimney and decorations with no muss no fuss no waiting around.

Also, a lot of recipes will tell you that you need a piping bag for the icing, and that’s ideal I suppose, but I’ve never had one. For jobs like this, a zip lock bag (freezer storage bag) works just as well. Just dump all of your icing into the bag, and cut a tiny hole in the corner. Use it as you would a regular piping bag.

Doing this from scratch was way more fun then I thought it would be. I will definitely do it again. Also, it was really tasty. I thought by the time we ate it, it would be stale and hard, but it was really good. Also, fun to tear pieces off the roof and walls.

Right after we finished this, someone directed me to This. A gingerbread K-9 from Dr. Who. How much fun is that? I’m thinking of new and different things that can be made from gingerbread now. I’ll keep you informed when I come up with something good.

3 comments:

Jax said...

Hi. It seems you really are a woman after my own heart. I've been going to try this for a couple of years but never really got round to it this year. They sell kits in a posh bakery here in Hiroshima, but I always figured it would be good to try it from scratch myself. I'll certainly use your example as a guide when I do . Good job! Check Tasty Bites next December for results!!

Susie Felber said...

Sorry but I had to point out this clever gingerbread goodness. Yes I wrote it, but it's so appropo!

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