December is headed for its end so all are looking forward to 2013 and its celebrations. To make your bashes more happening KhanaPakana brings one more commendable article for you that is how to make ginger bread house. You can make your grand events more astonishing by doling out your guests with gingerbread. Ginger bread is used more as an ornament than a sweet dish and isfinest for your birthdays, New Year, Halloween or Christmas Parties.
Definition: Gingerbread is a kind of sweet dish made chiefly with ginger and honey or molasses. It can be in different forms like plain gingerbread, gingerbread cake or gingerbread house.
Brief History
Ginger bread devise from Europe by Gregory Makar, who was an Armenian, in 922. He taught the formation of gingerbread to French for seven years then this knowledge was passed to Swedish and Germans. With the passage of time its popularity grew to a greater extent and its selling starts in bakeries.
Making of Gingerbread House
Required Ingredients:
Flour 1/3 kg
Ginger powder 4 tsps
Butter 1 cup
Cinnamon 4 tsps (ground)
Eggs 2
Cloves ½ tsps (ground)
Salt ½ tsp
Baking powder ½ tsp
Honey or dark molasses 1 cup
Brown sugar 200 gm
Water as required
Procedure:
1) Making of Dough:
• Take a bowl and mix all the dry ingredients in it.
• Blend butter and brown sugar by using a blender or electric beater then add eggs molasses or honey and one table spoon of water till it turn out to be a fleecy mixture.
• Now add dry ingredients gradually in sugar mixture and keep blending till it got well intermingled.
• Cape the dough in plastic sheet and keep it in fridge for minimum of two hours more preferably overnight.
2) Formation and Cutting of House Pieces
• Take a ruler and a thick cardboard and create the pieces of house as shown in figure. The front and back size of house must be equal in size.
• Now roll the dough and place the cardboard patterns on it with an inch space in between. Cut the pieces with the help of cutter as can be seen in a picture. Remove the spare dough.
• Grab the opposite edges of cardboard and put it on the baking sheet or pan. Bake for 12- 15 minutes in a 360 degree preheated oven.
3) Royal Icing
The most typical icing used for gingerbread house is royal icing. It is not only used for decoration of house but also to keep the pieces together in the form of house. You need the following ingredients to make royal icing.
• Icing Sugar 2-2/3 cup
• Egg white 3
Mix egg white with 1 cup of sugar until it got smooth. You can microwave this mixture for 35-45 seconds if you want to eat your ginger house otherwise use it without heating. Now add the remaining sugar and beat the mixture on high speed till it hold stiff peaks. To avoid the icing from drying cover it with a dampened cloth.
4) Assembly of Ginger Bread House
Now comprehend how to assemble the house.
• Take the base of house and cover it with a brown paper or aluminium file.
• Now take the icing and apply on the edges of pieces and connect the front end and sides of house as shown in figures.
5) Decoration of Ginger Bread House
You can decorate your ginger bread house with whatever stuff you like. You can use chocolates, icing and different candies for decoration. By using candies you can make pretty styles on house like you can use same candy for the edges and roof but different for decorating the sides. Style can also be made with icing as shown in figure.
After decoration your house is ready to be presented. It’s utterly up to you that whether you choose to serve or use it as an ornament.
