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Christmas: Making Gingerbread Houses

Source of Recipe

Grandpoohbah


Recipe Introduction

12 Days of Christmas Baking Tips/2002 . . . Day 3

Recipe Link: messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-fdcooking&msg=3829.1



As the holidays approach, some of us get a disease known as 'Craft Disease'. You all know who you are, and don't be ashamed! Now is the perfect time to pull out all the supplies, wield that hot glue gun, and go to town. In this case you'll be wielding the measuring cups and spoons!
One of many holiday craft adventures is the construction of a gingerbread house. This holiday confection is a crafty temptation indeed! One must proceed with caution and a plan for such an undertaking. However, with a straightforward approach and a firm grip on your pastry bag, you too can accomplish the modest feat of constructing a simple gingerbread house.

This is a very basic gingerbread house. If you feel that you are more advanced, create a gingerbread village, or perhaps a gingerbread cathedral. Just don't try to build Rome in a day!

Things to Consider:
Before you start, do a little planning. This is a big project and in order to have successes, you need to prepare for all the possibilities. Here is a list of things to jumpstart your brain into action.

Make a timeline:
This will save you from making huge mistakes and keep you from getting too tired or frustrated.

Week before Construction: Finalize your design, buy candy and collect all supplies that will be needed.
Day 1- Make dough and chill in refrigerator.
Day 2- Construct base of house.
Day 3- Put on the roof. Let it all dry.
Day 4- Decorate!

How big do you want your gingerbread house?
In this case size does matter. If you are planning a house that is over 12 inches high, consider using cardboard for support. To do that, you would make cardboard pieces the same as your gingerbread pieces and glue the gingerbread pieces to the cardboard with Royal Icing. After they have dried, start constructing the house. If you are planning to make a house less than 12 inches, an all cookie structure will do fine.

What style of house would you like?
This is the perfect opportunity for all you closet artists to sweep the dust off your creativity and go for it! Don't be afraid to break the traditional mold, so to speak. Look at architecture magazines, or go to the library and find information on gingerbread houses and their history. There are so many different styles you could choose. Here is a short list of some of our favorites:
> Victorian Mansion
> Log Cabin
> Cathedral
> School House
> Castle Cottage
> Teepee
> Hacienda
> Your House
What special features would you like?
Now that you know the style of house, think of the details. Keep in mind, these are the things that make a house a home or a gingerbread masterpiece that will be talked about for holidays to come!
> Fireplace
> Bay Windows
> Flower Boxes
> Garden/Foliage People/Figures

Raw Building Materials:
After you have settled on a design and a size, you will need to determine how many batches of gingerbread and icing you will need. Of course, it helps if you are working from a recipe for a gingerbread house. If that is not the case and this is your first time embarking on this endeavor, we recommend finding a full gingerbread house recipe, like the Children's Gingerbread House.

Tips to Help You Survive Construction:
The gingerbread dough should be a strong, sturdy one. Bake it carefully until it is hard and dry. Let it cool completely before construction begins. Be sure to assemble the house in sections. Don't put it all together in one day. It will fall apart. Put a layer of icing on the base, leaving the inside of the house icing free. Pipe the edges of the walls with icing and set them together on a base. You can use one-pound cans of fruits or vegetables to hold them while they dry. Let the support walls dry before applying the rooftop. When the rooftop has been added, let it all dry together for 2 to 3 hours or overnight if possible. You may start decorating your house after the structure is completely dry.

Let the Decorating Start! (Fa- La- La- La- Laaa- La- La- La- La)
This is the part you have been waiting for, isn't it? All that construction is really an excuse for candy consumption that borders on the extreme. We did some research and found that the possibilities are infinite! A quick visit to your local specialty candy store or even your grocery store will supply you with lots of sugary things you can use to decorate your house. Here is just a small list of some the candies we like to use:
> Sticks of gum for roof shingles
> Necco™ wafers for roof shingles
> Confectioners' sugar for a dusting of snow
> Edible rice paper for windows, available at Asian supermarkets
> For walkways-dampen superfine sugar, stir in food coloring and press to ground, let dry.
> Graham crackers for doors
> Fruit roll curtains tied back with licorice strings
> Cinnamon sticks for a woodpile
> Candy rocks or pebbles imbedded in royal icing for any stonework and chimney ornamentation
> Crushed nuts for a gravel walkway
> Straight candy canes make good supports for porches
> Mini pretzels for fence making
> Wafer creams for window shutter
> Mini shredded wheat squares (frosted or unfrosted) for the thatched roof loo
> Cotton candy make great smoke rising from the chimney
> Use royal icing and a small, round decorating tube to create icicles hanging down from roof edges

Tools of the Trade:
Don't get caught without the right tools to get the job done! Be prepared for anything and everything. Here is a list of items and supplies you will need to pull together before you start!

All the ingredients you need to bake the gingerbread and decorate it -
Icing bags, couplers and tips:
Small cookie cutters: people, horses, various shapes (These can be used to make any detail on your house, i.e. roof shingles, fence) to use for support on larger houses Pizza cutter for cutting out gingerbread house pieces
Resealable plastic bags for icing. These can be used as pastry bags for the icing, clip a corner and go.
Find something to use for the base of your project. Thick cardboard or a square of plywood covered in fancy wrapping paper or just plain craft paper.
Dressmaker pins to secure gingerbread pieces together.

Getting the Kids Involved - or - How to Make a Bigger Mess, But Have More Fun:
If you have kids, the latter part of the title will definitely apply. If you don't have kids, we're sure you can find some. Invite some kids to help; they'll love it and you will have enthusiastic helpers who will do all the jobs you would rather not do. Here are a few guidelines and ideas for such an occasion.

Put the house together beforehand then let the kids have at it. Keep it simple so that kids don't get too frustrated or bored. Have some nutritious snacks on hand to counteract sugar attacks.

Put the icing in a bowl and have kids dip candies before applying onto house.

For very young children, make gingerbread houses out of graham crackers or make very small gingerbread houses out of gingerbread pieces that measure 4x4 inches or 2x2 inches.

Preservation:
When you are all done, you can stand back and enjoy your hard-earned work and your craftsmanship. And with all the time, effort and creative juices involved in making your gingerbread house, you may want to preserve it for future use. For that, you can apply a varnish, easily obtained at a hardware store or craft supply store, or hairspray. Wrap the gingerbread house tightly in a plastic bag. It should last until next year. If you don't want to preserve it, keep it in a cool dry place out of direct sunlight and it will keep for up to 4 weeks