gingerbread house decorating tips
Anyone have any good gingerbread house recipes?
I would like to make a gingerbread house this year and have never made one before. Does anyone no any good, and simple recipes for the actual thing and some advise on how to decorate it. Do you hold it together with icing? How long does it take to make? and i like gingerbread crispy not soft and not TOO gingery how can I get it like this? I would be grateful for any tips, thanks x
Ingredients
* 3 1/2 cups self-raising flour
* 1 cup plain flour
* 1 tablespoon ground ginger
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 cup firmly packed Brown Sugar
* 185g butter, chopped
* 1/2 cup golden syrup
* 2 eggs, lightly beaten
* 1/4 cup pure icing sugar
*
Royal icing
* 2 eggwhites, lightly beaten
* 3 cups pure icing sugar
Method
1. Combine flours, ginger, cinnamon, sugar and butter in a food processor. Process until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Whisk golden syrup and eggs together in a jug. With the motor running, add egg mixture and process until dough just comes together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead gently until smooth. Cut dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until well chilled.
2. Roll dough, 1 portion at a time, between 2 sheets baking paper until 5mm thick. Remove top layer baking paper. Using cardboard cut-outs as a guide, cut shapes from dough (see tip). Place gingerbread in a single layer on trays. Freeze for 15 minutes or until firm.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 4 baking trays with baking paper. Place gingerbread on trays. Bake, 2 trays at a time, for 15 minutes or until firm. Cool on trays.
4. Make royal icing: Using an electric mixer, beat eggwhites until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar, beating constantly until thick.
5. Use icing to join walls together, placing unopened cans of food to support walls until icing dries. Use icing to attach roof to walls, using cans to support roof (to prevent it fom slipping off walls) until icing dries completely.
6. Spoon 1/2 cup remaining icing into a snap-lock bag. Trim 1 corner of bag and pipe windows and doors on house and frost on roof edges. Allow to dry. Spoon remaining icing into snap-lock bag. Pipe a little icing on the back of each lolly and attach to house to decorate. Dust roof with icing sugar.
Notes & tips
* This cute gingerbread house will keep for up to 1 week. Don’t forget it’s edible!
* Tip: Before cutting gingerbread to size, make a test run with cardboard cut-outs to ensure pieces will fit together.
Taste.com.au has everything you need for Christmas including Christmas gift ideas like truffles and rum balls, Christmas menu plans and handy video how to tips.
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Here is a link for heaps of tips and ideas on how to construct it well:
http://www.gingerbread-house-heaven.com/gingerbread-house-construction.html
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