Let's Make a Gingerbread House!
Patience is a virtue, and this project is sure to prove just that.
It has been a while since I posted here, and for many reasons. For two weeks in November I was at the Stratford Chef’s School as writer-in-residence, then I returned home to a very busy schedule. But what’s taking up a lot of my time of late is a new book I’m working on. So it has been difficult not only to write but to find things to write about. But I’m back this week with many holiday ideas on the horizon, beginning with this fun project. Or was it not so fun? I haven’t decided. Anyway, I made a gingerbread house, something I suggest you try yourself. Or maybe not. I’ll explain more below.
By the way, for those in search of a gift for that foodie friend who has everything, why not offer a gift subscription to Lick my Plate?! So many of us are cutting down on the endless consumer push to buy, buy, buy things we don’t necessarily need so a subscription to a Substack is a nice change of pace that lasts the whole year long.
Now on to the HOUSE!
Unlike so many bakers who yearn for a serious challenge, I prefer perfecting a chocolate cake, a shortbread cookie, or pecan pie rather than attempting anything that requires an excess of patience. As a pastry chef I made countless wedding cakes, kids’ birthday cakes, and many a towering croquenbouche. I even once made a cake shaped as a Whippet cookie that served 50. But those kinds of projects give me anxiety for fear that I’ll mess up and 50 people will be standing there without a cake. Yet as the Christmas season is upon us, I volunteered to try my hand at making a gingerbread house.
The thing about a gingerbread house is that it’s not a cake, it’s a project, and as I have never been tempted to unleash my inner architect to craft an edible edifice, I can’t say I was all that keen. I do admire the people who draw up plans, set aside hours and remain sane at the site of crooked walls and uneven door frames, but that ain’t me. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve even stuck two pieces of Lego together.
Meanwhile, there’s no missing the keeners on Instagram making gingerbread palaces and pavilions, beginning with Martha Stewart, a woman who didn’t just make a gingerbread house, but replicated her very own home in gingerbread, complete with a gold leaf roof, caramel windows, and an indoor lighting scheme. At first I considered duplicating my own home in gingerbread, but I live in a semi-detached house and I can’t find my gold leaf so that was a no-go. Martha also made a Downton Abbey out of gingerbread. But of course Martha is a show-off so I’m not really impressed by that. And she had her staff to assemble the whole thing in 34 hours. I mean what’s next, the Taj Mahal?
Anyway, my inspiration came from the Time Life International Foods of the World books published in 1968. The cover of the German book features a magical-looking gingerbread house straight out of the especially grim, 1812 Grimm's fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, where the description of the house goes something like this:
“…they saw that the little house was built entirely from bread with a roof made of cake, and the windows were made of clear sugar.”
The fairy tale isn’t exactly a cheerer upper, and yet that gingerbread house became the inspiration for bakers for centuries to come and has remained a German tradition since the early 1800s. So with my book and some instructions in hand, I got baking!
I wasn’t easy and yet I’m sure anyone with a bit of craftiness in their soul could manage. Here’s what I discovered:
1) Beware vintage recipes. Baking powder is now double-acting so when perusing an old recipe you can’t be sure if it is single action or double action that’s required. In the Time Life book, they recommend making 18-cups of flour worth of dough for one house. Crazy.
2) Consider doubling the dough recipe. You never know what can break along the way so be sure to have extra dough that you can always turn into gingerbread cookies. Nothing cheers me up more during the holidays than a big tin of smiling gingerbread people.
3) Make your own pattern. I used the diagrams from the Time Life Book which weren’t that great (see below). You can find plenty of diagrams to make a house on the internet, or be especially creative and draw up your own. You don’t have to be Martha, just have fun with it.
4) Keep your dough cool at all times or it will stick to the counter. And use sufficient flour but don’t drown it in flour either. Happily, gingerbread dough is pretty forgiving and can be rolled out over and again.
5) Make sure you have sturdy and STRAIGHT baking pans that won’t buckle while the gingerbread bakes. If not, you house will look like something out of a Tim Burton movie.
6) Get help! Ask the kids or anyone to be there when you are assembling the house because it can be tricky. And take your time while assembling. I waited about 30 minutes before adding the larger panels to the house to make sure the structure was solid before proceeding.
7) Don’t be stingy with the bonbons. I went to Biscuiterie Oscar and bought $40 of candy to decorate my house. Go big! And buy candies in an assortment of sizes and colours. I didn’t buy enough small candies and ended up cutting jelly beans in half. Also, royal icing dries quickly so be ready with the candy to decorate before it dries up and nothing will stick.
8) Make a house for this year only. Some people make gingerbread houses that they intend to keep for many years. The idea of a dusty house being carted out every year is off-putting to me. I’ll be smashing it and eating it on New Year’s Eve.
9) This is not a project to do with very little kids. They will lose interest quickly. I’d make this with kids that are a little older so that they can help instead of eating the candy while you do everything.
10) Consider how you will display the house, what you will place it on, and where you will display it. A well-made house will be solid yet don’t take unnecessary risks. You want to move it around as little as possible so make sure it will be placed on a sturdy board, platter, or cake cardboard that should be chosen before you get started. And don’t only decorate the front! Unlike a Christmas tree, a gingerbread house should be decorated and look pretty from all angles.
11) Be patient. It’s not a massive undertaking, but it’s not simple either, so don’t expect miracles the first time you do it. Instead make one this year, keep the cardboard patterns and try agin next year and the year after. It can only get better! You might prefer to begin with a kit to make a simple house and take it from there. Soon enough you’ll be making a Downtown Abbey gingerbread house too!
Here are my recipes for the gingerbread and royal icing:
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Lick my Plate to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.