How to Build a Homemade Gingerbread House
A Family Project
This a fun and decorative project you can do by yourself. Or, why not plan to build a gingerbread house during Christmas break when the kids or grandkids are home from school? After you take some pictures of the finished house, you can then have even more fun eating your delicious structure.
The Design
Basically a gingerbread house has four walls and a peaked roof. Cut out windows and a door finish off the simple design. The decorating, however, is entirely up to you. You can make it as plain or as elaborate as you choose. It’s also up to you how large your homemade gingerbread house will be.
First Step- The Ingredients for the House
To make an average-sized gingerbread house, you’ll need:
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks butter – set out at room temperature to soften
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground ginger
Second Step- Mixing and Baking Instructions for the Gingerbread House
1. Mix together all the dry ingredients- except the sugars- in a mixing bowl.
2. Place the butter and brown and white sugars in a separate mixing bowl. Beat them together with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy.
3. Pour half the dry ingredients and half the water into the butter/sugar mix; mix well.
4. Add the remaining dry ingredients and water and mix well again.
5. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Cover two 10X15 inch cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Lightly grease and flour the foil.
7. Divide the Gingerbread House dough into two balls.
8. To build a homemade Gingerbread House, divide the dough into two pieces and roll each out on a lightly-floured work surface.
9. Roll each dough roll out so they each fit across the width and length of a cookie sheet.
10. Place the cookie sheets in your oven and bake them about fifteen minutes until the Gingerbread is golden brown.
11. Remove the cookie sheets from your oven and allow the Gingerbread to cool completely.
Step Three- Cutting Out the Pieces
1. Use a sharp knife to carefully cut out all of the pieces you’ll need to build your Gingerbread House with. Basically, you’ll need four sides and two pieces for the peaked roof. You can also add a chimney and other items, if you choose.
2. Once you cut out each piece, use the knife to cut out details such as windows, doorways, et cetera. Carefully remove the extra baked dough pieces. Then, use a large spatula to remove each piece from the baking sheets.
Step Four- Mix Up the Icing
To build a homemade Gingerbread House, you’ll need to make some icing to hold the pieces of your edible structure together. Place 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 teaspoon Cream of Tartar, 2 egg whites and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract into a mixing bowl. Beat the ingredients together until the icing is stiff and holds its shape. Moisten a clean dish towel and cover the mixing bowl to help keep the icing from drying out too soon. Mix up more if needed.
Step Five- Building Your Homemade Gingerbread House
1. Your Gingerbread House will need a base. A sturdy piece of cardboard that measures several inches bigger than your house will work nicely.
2. Place some of the icing inside a pastry bag to use it. Start with the walls. Run a line of icing across the bottom of the walls. Run more icing across the adjoining sides. Set them in place so they form the corners of the Gingerbread House on the base. Use toothpicks to hold the walls up; or prop them up. Repeat this process until the walls of the house are in place and joined together. Allow the icing to dry before you attach the roof, et cetera.
To build a homemade Gingerbread House, be sure to use generous amounts of the icing to hold the structure together.
Step Five- Decorating
You can use all kinds of candies and other edible things to decorate your Gingerbread House with. Small candy canes, shredded coconut, hard candies, licorice whips, M&Ms, sliced almonds, et cetera. Simply dab some icing on the decorations and attach it your house.
You can also use lines or globs of icing to decorate your house as well.
