Hey folks! the time of the year is finally about to come in a few days again and we all are not only just excited but have also started with the preparations and unlike all these years ginger bread houses are always a fun for holidays. Ginger bread house parties are always a part of Christmas eve.
There is always something extra sweet about making a ginger bread house. While the fail safe kits saves you a lot of time, they lack the personal touch.
Here we bring you step by step procedure which you can follow easily to make your own ginger bread house this season and have a little more fun with your close ones.
HOW TO BUILD RUSTIC GINGERBREAD HOUSE THIS CHRISTMAS
Step 1: Shopping:
It does not matter whether you are going to school or working or you are simply busy, you need to start preparing for the ginger bread party a few days in advance as it takes a good amount of days to make it work.
You need to go over the recipes and take the stock of what all is available in your kitchen. If you are not a baker and haven’t made ginger breads before, chances are that you might surely be missing on some of the essential ingredients and tools in your house. If you like staying busy in your kitchen, make sure you have enough amount of every ingredient which will save you a good amount of time later.
INGREDIENTS:
One single batch of ginger bread each will make you about two 3*5 inches houses, so plan accordingly.
GINGER BREAD:
Margarine: 2 sticks.
Brown Sugar: 1 Cup.
Eggs: 3.
Unsulfured Molasses: 1 Cup.
All Purpose Flour: 8 to 9 Cups.
Baking Soda: 1 TBSP.
Salt: 1 TSP.
SPICE MIX:
All Spice: 1 TSP.
Cinnamon: 1 TSP.
Ground Ginger: 1 TSP.
Ground Clove: 1 TSP.
ROYAL ICING:
Meringue Powder.
Water.
Powdered Sugar: 1 LB.
BUTTER CREAM FROSTING
(The Colored Decorating Frosting):
Butter or Margarine: 1/3 Cup.
Sifted Powdered Sugar: 4 and a Half Cups.
Milk: ¼ Cup.
Vanilla: 1 and a Half TSP.
Milk Food Coloring (until desired texture is achieved).
TOOLS: Out of the tools mentioned hereby, some of them are simple, some of them are unexpected while some are simply recommended but not necessary.
Kitchen Mixer (Good if you get but not necessary).
Multiple Pastry Tips / Bags.
Mixing Bowls.
Paper Plates (Large SIze).
Cookie Racks.
Spatulas.
Saran Wrap.
Cookie Sheets.
Cookie Cutter.
Oven Mits.
Electric Mixer.
Spoons.
Forks.
Knives.
Serving Bowls.
Paper Towels.
Measuring Cups.
Measuring Spoons.
Ziploc Bags.
Cups.
Cutting Board.
Rolling Pin.
Long Sewing Straight Pins with Plastic Balls on the end.
Sprinkles and Candies for decoration.
STEP 2: Making Dough:
You will need to make more than one batch of dough and store it in the refrigerator overnight to chill. Depending on your batches, it will take time to chill which can take several hours to full evening.
RECIPE:
GINGER BREAD DOUGH:
Until smooth, cream margarine and sugar, then add eggs and molasses and beat until it gets smooth. Take 3 cups of flour with the baking soda, spices and salt and beat it in the egg mixture. Once done till here, add 5 to 6 more cups of flour and beat until it just mixes (use a good stand mixer). Make sure your dough is stiff and heavy.
After this, form 2 rectangles, wrap it in a plastic wrap and chill overnight.
You can also roll the ginger bread into sheets and stack them in your fridge for an easy re – rolling and cutting. Be careful while wrapping so that it doesn’t dries out.
STEP 3: House Templates:
Cut the template of a house from a stiff paper or a cardboard, make sets for saving time rolling dough; you can use multiples to squeeze in as many pieces as possible from one rolled batch of dough. Label each template as they will look similar and make sure to count the pieces of each you are cutting out because you might not want to end up with just 3 roofs and 5 houses.
STEP 4: Cutting and Baking the Pieces:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Use vegetable spray or grease on the baking sheets. On your work space, roll the dough directly to 1/8” thick for softer and chewier ginger bread which is also easy to build into a house. Fit as many templates as possible on the rolled out dough and cut them with a knife. Transfer the cut out pieces on the baking sheet with a spatula making sure to keep them enough apart so they can spread out a little while baking.
Bake pieces for around 15 minutes around the edges until it is light brown. Let it cool down in the pan for around 10 minutes. Remove the baked pieces carefully from the pan and let it cool down completely.
Take scraps of dough, mush them in a ball, re – roll the dough and continue on. If there is not enough dough left out for another house, make a few cookies.
SETP 5: Royal Icing:
Royal icing will glue your pieces together. It will be a little hard when it dries but it is definitely going to be edible.
Combine the ingredients of the icing and beat until the mixture gets the firm consistency of a marshmallow cream. It might take around 10 minutes.
Take a pastry bag and scoop the icing with a medium tip and set it aside.
STEP 6: Building the Houses:
It is time to build the ginger bread once it has completely cooled.
Get the sturdy paper plates and make a pile of pieces on each. Make sure you are having a front and a back piece, 2 sides and 2 roofs.
Arrange the back, front and 2 side pieces first. Keep the pantry bag with royal icing near you and using the straight pins, place the 2 pieces upright and pin them together. Pipe the icing in the seam on the inside and the outside and repeat until all 4 pieces are upright, pinned and iced.
Along the bottom of the walls to cement the house to the plate, pipe a bit of icing.
Now wait for around 30 minutes for the icing to get hard on the walls.
Now place the roof pieces on top of the walls, pin them and ice into the place.
Cover it up in a saran wrap and let it dry which will take a night’s time.
STEP 7: Party:
Lay out the candies and sprinkles and other goodies which you had collected for decoration. Do not forget to keep non sweet snacks as well for the guests.
Unwrap the house and remove all the pins carefully and make the decorative icing by beating the butter in a mixing bowl until it gets fluffy. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat again. Once done, add vanilla and ¼ cup of milk and beat again.
Beat in the remaining powdered sugar and additional milk, if needed to reach the consistency which is needed for spreading.
Divide the white frosting in separate bowls and tint each bowl with different food coloring and beat until the color gets mixed.
With all the other decorating treats for your guests, lay your ginger bread houses on the table and let your guests serve themselves with some delicious and lip smacking snack.
ENJOY AND PARTY HARD.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
