Creating a gingerbread house is a joyous endeavor that you can spread out over a few wintertime evenings or a weekend, ideally with friends and family. These steps will take the strain out of piecing together your own masterpiece, making it one of the best gingerbread gifts to give or place on your Christmas table.
Ingredients
- 2 cups molasses
- 1 pound of unsalted butter
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 4 eggs
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 ½ cups + 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 12 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour
- 2 heaping tbsp ginger powder
- ½ tsp salt
Preparation
Step 1: Beat together half the butter and half the sugar in a mixer equipped with the paddle attachment for five minutes, or until fluffy. Scrape the sides down. In the meantime, sift together the dry ingredients (baking soda, flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder) and set half aside.
Step 2: Add two eggs, one at a time, while the mixer is running on low speed. 1 cup of molasses should be added at the end. Scrape the bowl clean. Add half of the dry ingredients in three batches, mixing only to incorporate. To prevent the flour from flying out, turn off the mixer before adding each batch and cover it with a cloth while mixing.
Step 3: Remove the dough from the mixer and cover it in plastic wrap or transfer it to a resealable plastic bag. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Preheat the oven to 350°F when you’re ready to bake. Roll out the dough. Weigh out roughly 20 ounces of dough for each square. You want to end up with five 9-inch squares, so roll them out a little larger, bake them, then trim the edges.
Step 4: Flour a big piece of parchment paper lightly. Place the cooled dough on top. Roll from side to side and up and down to form a rough square. Make repeated quarter-turns while rolling to keep the dough even.
Step 5: Roll the dough out until it is about 10 by 10 inches and a full 1/4-inch thick. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough. (Any leftover dough after preparing the squares can be rolled out 1/4-inch thick and used to make cookies.) The slab will rise to approximately 3/8- to 1/2-inch thickness in the oven, making the structure very robust.
Step 6: Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the mixture is uniform and hard. Place pans on cooling racks to cool. Transfer to racks gently by lifting parchment paper to avoid bending and splitting. When the slabs are entirely cold, stack them on parchment and leave them away to cure at room temperature for three to seven days.
Additional Tips
- To store the icing, keep any leftover icing in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Before reuse, re-whip the icing on low speed with a paddle attachment until it reaches the appropriate consistency.
- Confectioners’ sugar is used with fondant to make it less sticky or to powder your work surface before spreading it out.
- Cornstarch can be used to flatten the icing so that it does not stick to your fingers.
Endnote
To get into the Christmas spirit, make this traditional gingerbread house recipe with friends and family. Remember to bake your gingerbread at least a few days ahead of time to allow the slabs to solidify, and reserve a few hours for assembly and decoration.