A gingerbread house, by its mere presence on the festive table, creates a sense of a fairy tale. It's much more interesting and original than regular homemade cakes and pies. And it's actually not as difficult to make as it seems! So, here are 5 delicious step-by-step recipes for a DIY gingerbread house!
1. Honey Gingerbread House
This simple and charming gingerbread house is sure to turn out perfectly for everyone!
You will need: 165g honey, 100g sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and grated ginger, 0.5 tsp nutmeg, 2 tsp baking soda, 125g butter, 1 egg, 400g flour, 1 egg white, 200g powdered sugar.
Instructions:
1. Melt the honey with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. After boiling, keep the mixture on the stove for about another minute – the sugar should dissolve.
2. Add baking soda, and the mixture will foam up significantly and increase in size. Add slightly softened butter cubes to it and mix.
3. Cool the mixture to room temperature, stir in the egg, add the flour in several batches, and knead the dough. It will be soft, elastic, and slightly sticky. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.
4. Make paper stencils, roll out the dough, and cut out the pieces according to them. Bake the pieces for 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Separately, make rectangles for the roof and a round base. While the dough is still warm after baking, you can correct any minor imperfections.
5. Whip the egg white with powdered sugar until smooth with a mixer for 2-3 minutes. Decorate each piece separately and let dry.
6. Trim all edges of the pieces with a knife to make them even, and assemble the gingerbread construction with the same icing. To prevent the house from falling apart, assemble and dry it in stages.
7. Finally, attach the roof and coat all exterior seams with another thick layer of icing. Let the house set for several hours.
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2. Ginger Gingerbread House
Surprisingly, it's very easy to make and uses simple ingredients.
You will need: 3 eggs, 250g powdered sugar, 180g invert syrup (sugar syrup with citric acid), 1 tsp ginger and cinnamon, 1 packet vanilla sugar, 200g butter, 1 tsp baking soda, 600-750g flour.
Instructions:
1. Beat the eggs with powdered sugar on high speed, and in the meantime, bring the syrup with butter and spices to a gentle boil.
2. Combine the egg mixture with the syrup, add baking soda and flour, and knead into a smooth dough. Refrigerate it overnight, wrapped in plastic wrap.
3. Roll out the dough into sheets up to 5mm thick and cut out the house pieces using stencils. Bake the pieces for 10-15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius. Make the roof similarly, but leave a few holes cut with a drinking straw.
4. It's best to cut out windows and doors from the baked pieces while they are still warm – it will be more even.
5. For the icing, take 3 egg whites, add powdered sugar and a little lemon juice to taste, and beat with a mixer until a thick, smooth consistency.
6. Decorate all parts of the house separately and let dry for several hours. You can make windows from melted isomalt with food coloring. Use edible glitter and any other decorations.
7. Add more powdered sugar to the icing for thickness, spread it on all joints, and assemble the house like a construction kit. Make the seams thicker, remove excess, and beautifully connect the roof with ribbons.
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3. Gingerbread House with Dried Egg White Icing
You can use regular egg white at a ratio of 2 tsp dried egg white and 2 tbsp warm water per gingerbread house.
You will need: 350g flour, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp baking powder, pinch of salt, 175g brown sugar, 125g butter, 1 egg, 80g golden syrup, 15g dried egg white, 4 tbsp warm water, 400g powdered sugar.
Instructions:
1. Sift the flour, add baking powder and spices to it, and beat the egg with golden syrup. Beat the butter with sugar on high speed with a mixer, combine with the egg, and add the dry ingredients. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.
2. Roll out the dough to a 0.5 cm thick sheet and transfer the pieces onto it using a paper stencil. Bake them for 30-40 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.
3. Mix the dried egg white with water until smooth and pour the mixture into the sifted powdered sugar. Beat with a mixer for 5-10 minutes until a thick consistency – this will be your working "glue".
4. Set aside about 100g of icing in another bowl and mix with 1 tsp of water. Add food coloring if desired – this is the icing for the borders. To make icing for flooding, add another 1-2 tsp of water. Cover the rest with plastic wrap.
5. Decorate all gingerbread pieces separately with colored icing. Let each layer dry for several hours. Use culinary beads and other small decorations.
6. Assemble the house with the thickest, undiluted icing. Apply it thickly to the joints, and then inside. Decorate the seams with leftover icing and let the house set completely for several more hours.
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4. Gluten-Free Gingerbread House
A simple vegan recipe that is gluten-free and sugar-free, but contains flaxseed flour. The dough is suitable for gingerbread cookies and gingerbread houses.
You will need: 2 tbsp flaxseed flour, 100 ml water, 1 tsp each of ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 100 ml Jerusalem artichoke syrup, 100 ml coconut or olive oil, 1 tsp baking soda, 300g oat or rice flour.
Instructions:
1. Mix 2 tbsp of level flaxseed flour with water and let stand for 5 minutes. Add salt, baking soda, and spices, then Jerusalem artichoke syrup, oil, and oat or rice flour. Mix everything until smooth.
2. Roll out the dough on parchment paper and cut out the house pieces using stencils. Do not make the pieces too small or thin, so they don't crumble.
3. Bake the pieces for 15 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius until lightly browned.
4. For the sticky glaze, mix another 100 ml of Jerusalem artichoke syrup with 1 tbsp of corn or tapioca starch and bring to a boil. Simmer, stirring constantly, for 1-3 minutes until thickened.
5. Use the sweet "glue" to coat all joints and assemble the house, but note that it sets quickly. Decorate the piece to your taste.
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5. Round Gingerbread House
This gingerbread house is very easy to make yourself, as it has no complex parts and you don't need to glue walls or corners. You can create it together with a child!
You will need: gingerbread dough and royal icing (use any recipe you like).
Instructions:
1. Prepare the molds for work. Wrap a bowl with plastic wrap and make a mold of the same shape, but slightly smaller, from foil and parchment paper. For the base, you will need a tall springform pan and a tin can of smaller diameter.
2. Roll out a piece of gingerbread dough thinly on a silicone mat without flour. Use the tin can to form the walls of the future house in the springform pan. Trim off any excess and refrigerate the mold for half an hour to allow the dough to firm up again.
3. Following the same principle, form the roof in a bowl, remove any excess, and transfer it to the mold. And make a base for the house with a larger diameter than the walls. Similarly, refrigerate.
4. From small dough scraps, make a chimney, doors, windows, Christmas trees, and other decorative details. Bake them for 8-10 minutes at 180-200 degrees Celsius until lightly browned.
5. Bake the walls and roof for 8-10 minutes at 180-200 degrees Celsius. While the walls are still warm, cut out windows and doors. Let the gingerbread cool completely for several hours, or preferably overnight.
6. Take thick royal icing, colored culinary mastic, and other small decorations. Glue the walls to the base with the same icing, and decorate the inside of the house as desired.
7. Flood the area around the house with icing, lay out the porch and other details, and let it set. During this time, decorate the roof, attach the chimney, and glue it to the base. Only the decoration will remain.
