The gingerbread house is a cute attribute of Christmas, with a breathtaking spice smell. Children can be involved in its creation and, believe me, all "builders" will get maximum pleasure.
It is necessary
-
- For the test:
- 6 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder;
- 4 teaspoons of ground ginger;
- 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt;
- 12 tbsp butter
- softened;
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 large chicken eggs;
- 1 cup dark molasses or honey
- 1 tablespoon of water.
- Glaze
- 225 g icing sugar;
- 2 proteins from large chicken eggs;
- 1/2 teaspoon of tartar.
Instructions
Step 1
Like every home, a gingerbread house starts with an architectural project. Choose the type of house that suits you best and its template on the Internet, or come up with and draw yourself. The simplest house consists of six parts - a front and a back wall, two side walls and two roof slopes. You can make very tiny houses, cut doors in the back and front, and place the "babies" on cups of Christmas morning cocoa.
Step 2
Depending on the size of your house and their number, prepare everything you need for the dough. Based on the ingredients for 6 cups of flour, you can bake one standard house, 20 centimeters high.
Step 3
Mix all dry ingredients except sugar in one bowl. Using a mixer on medium speed, beat the softened butter and sugar into fluffy cream. Add eggs one at a time, pour in molasses or honey. Pour half of the dry mixture from the bowl in a thin stream, turn on the mixer again and knead the dough until smooth, glossy, even consistency. Change the attachments on the mixer (or food processor) to the dough hook and add the remaining ingredients. Knead a firm, glossy dough. If it is too soft, start adding flour. Roll the dough into a ball, wrap with cling film and refrigerate for 12 - 24 hours.
Step 4
Cut out parts of your house from thick cardboard. Roll out the dough on a sheet of baking paper. The thickness of the layer should be between 0.5 and 0.75 cm. Powder one side of your patterns with flour. Take a template, place the sprinkled side on the dough and cut out parts of the house. It is convenient to do this with a special pizza knife or for shaped cookies, but an ordinary sharp knife will do. Peel off excess intermediate pieces of dough. You can roll it into a ball, roll it out again and cut Christmas trees, snowmen, gingerbread men from them. Take parchment paper by opposite corners and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake at 175 ° C for about 15 minutes. The gingerbread pieces should be slightly soft when you take them out of the oven. Let them cool and they will harden.
Step 5
Prepare the royal icing. Sift the icing sugar into a bowl, add the tartar and add the protein. Beat the whole mixture with a mixer on high speed until crisp. This will take 5 to 10 minutes. Cover the icing bowl with plastic wrap as it dries quickly. If you want a colored frosting, add food coloring to it.
Step 6
Prepare a place for your house. This can be a dish, a foil-covered baking sheet, or just a piece of plywood. Place the icing in a piping bag. Apply some of the foundation glaze for your house. It should be the letter L as long as your side wall and as wide as your front or back. Cover the spout of the pastry bag with a damp cloth or towel, as if you don't, the frosting will harden and clog it. Install first one, narrower wall, then the second, grease the seam between them with glaze. You can prop the walls from the outside with glasses or cans. Repeat the operation with the other two sides. Do not forget to coat the seams between them. Glaze the tops of the walls and lay the roof down. Hold for a few minutes and release. Lubricate the roof slope with glaze. Leave the house to dry for an hour. Decorate your house with colorful frosting patterns, sweets, sprinkles, gingerbread cookies, candy canes, chocolate coins, marzipan, etc. Continue using the frosting that you have prepared as the adhesive.
