Gingerbread house

Several years ago - 12, 13 perhaps - Cat and I made a gingerbread house. Cemented together with royal icing, it sat proudly on top of the cupboard for several years: five in all, I think. I don't think it was the first house we made - I'm fairly sure we ate our first attempt, which we made when we were still in Kenya - but it was the last we made together.
Then Cat asked me for the recipe today. Now she is making it for her little Kiwi nephews (and probably her brothers-in-law as well...)

The gingerbread recipe itself is American, from my dear friend Connie:

Gingerbread

Beat together 1 cup/6oz of melted shortening/butter with 1 cup/8oz sugar (brown/white) and 8 tablespoons / 1 cup of honey or golden syrup, 1/2 cup of water and 1 large egg. 

Beat well and then beat in 3 cups/18oz of plain flour, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons (each) clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

Slowly add a further 3 cups of flour. Pat the dough together into a soft wobbly dough and either put in fridge if you want to for a short time, or roll it straight away. It will be very soft, so a light hand is needed and try not to add too much extra flour for rolling. I have had a good deal of success lately by rolling dough/pastry out with a sheet of greaseproof paper between the dough and the rolling pin.

 Cut out the parts of the house:  two gable ends, 2 long rectangles for walls and 2 wider rectangles for the roof.  The roof should not be too sharp an angle or it will be hard to glue it on to the walls, so make the rectangles big enough. You could cut out windows and a door separately, or draw them on with icing/other decorations. Little Christmas trees for the garden, snowmen and the right size gingerbread men (I have a tiny cutter) for the door can also look good.  Use left over dough to cut out cookies.

 Cookies bake at 10-12mins at 350F / 180C, the larger rectangles may take longer. Trim with a sharp knife straight after baking, probably - otherwise with a very sharp paring knife when cool. Assemble the house, 'gluing' the walls and gable ends first with royal icing: wait until these set before adding the roof, or the whole house might collapse!  I seem to remember that toothpicks are extremely useful, too... 

Royal icing: my mother's recipe, which I have written out in her own handwriting. The recipe is now falling apart as I have used it so much.

1 lb icing sugar

1 dessertspoon lemon juice

2 egg whites

Put half the sifted icing sugar into a bowl and add the egg whites. Beat at speed thoroughly until it is very white and smooth, then, add the remaining sugar and the lemon juice. Beat the icing very well until it looks 'dull' and soft peaks form, otherwise it won't set hard enough.

If you're lucky - and skilled - the end result may look like this...

Fruit tree growing on the end wall, Christmas trees delivered on the back of a truck...

Finishing touches

Bird's eye view - where's the seagull?

A front door which actually opens... and a pebbled path round the house

Check out the bushes.

And even a slide!

Gingerbread House

This American recipe is the best for making gingerbread men, a gingerbread house, and so on.

This makes a HUGE amount - I usually make half quantities. It is a very forgiving recipe and is very easy to work with.

Beat together:
1 cup (6oz) melted vegetable shortening
1 cup (8 oz) sugar, mixed brown and white or all white
6 - 8 tablespoons (1 cup) honey or golden syrup
1/2 cup water, 1 large beaten egg

Beat in:
3 cups (18 oz) flour
1 tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
1 1/2 tablespoons ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons each of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg (or equivalent in mixed spices) Quantities may be increased to taste

Slowly add a further 3 cups flour - the dough will be very soft - and pat the dough together. Refrigerate a little if wanted.

Bake 10 - 12 minutes at 180 degrees (350 degrees Fahrenheit) until slightly brown. Cool on a wire rack - the biscuits should usually crispen up.

Royal Icing

My mother's royal icing, only for Christmas cakes. Yet I know that, without the glycerine, this is a marvellous substitute for cement, holding many a gingerbread house together.
The last house we built lasted 200 gingerbread years before needing repair.

1 lb (500g)  icing sugar
1 dessertspoon (10ml) lemon juice
1 dessertspoon (10ml) glycerine (optional, for a soft icing)
2 egg whites

Put half the sifted icing sugar into the mixing bowl and add the egg whites.
Beat (with a mixer)  at SLOW speed thoroughly until very white and smooth
Add the remaining sugar and lemon juice, and glycerine if used
Continue beating until the mixture looks ‘dull’ and very white and peaks form.

Enough to thickly cover a 9 inch diameter cake.