Gingerbread House Day is observed on December 12 to recognise the family tradition of together making a gingerbread house. An Armenian monk, Gregory of Nicopolis, brought gingerbread to Europe around 992 AD. He taught French Christians to bake it making it a part of religious ceremonies. Over the years it became a part of celebrations for festivities. And now during the Christmas month, Gingerbread House Day is celebrated, much loved by children. As we observe the day, we bring to the easiest recipe to make gingerbread at home this festive season. Check out the step-by-step recipe to make gingerbread at home. 5 Healthy Cookie Recipes to Make Your X-Mas Sweet Yet Fit.

With all the baking, cutting, and building it may look like a tedious task, but it is not so difficult after all. The ingredients include 6 cups (828 g) all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 4 teaspoons ground ginger, 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice, 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) butter, softened 1 1/2 cups (284 g) packed light brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 cup dark molasses and 1 Tbsp water. Stollen to Panettone, 9 Delicacies Around The World That Are Part of Christmas.

Recipe to Make Gingerbread

  • Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and keep it aside.

  • Make a mixture of butter, sugar, egg and molasses mixture. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until its well blended.

  • Beat in the eggs, molasses and water until well combined.

  • Combine wet and dry ingredients and knead the dough well. Beat half of the flour mixture into the molasses mixture. Mix the remaining flour until well blended and a soft cohesive dough is formed.

  • Take the dough to a flat work surface and knead it by hand 5 or 6 times until it is smooth and combined. If you feel the dough is too soft, add a little more flour.

  • Now, divide the dough, wrap and chill it. Then divide it into disks, and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

  • Keep it at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before rolling out.

Cut out pieces of stiff paper or cardboard and create a gingerbread house pattern. You need a roof pattern, side and chimney pattern, front and back pattern. You can decide the measurements depending on how big you want it to be. Christmas 2020 Cookie Recipes: From Pecan Snowflake Cookies to Chocolate Coins, Here’s How to Bake Delicious Sweets & Garnish the Holiday Desserts for the Festival (Watch Videos)

Know the Recipe to Make Gingerbread House at Home:

 

Gingerbread House Pieces

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F before keeping cookie sheets ready.

  • Roll out dough and spread parchment paper on a large flat surface for rolling. Dust the paper lightly with flour.

  • Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to an even thickness of 1/4-inch. Add a little flour to the surface of the dough so it does not stick. If the rolled out dough is very soft, freeze it for an hour before cutting out the patterns.

  • Cut out shapes in the dough with pattern pieces. Use a knife to cut out the pattern pieces from the dough.

  • You can cut out the patterns through the dough and parchment paper. Space the pieces on the cookie sheet an inch apart from each other.

  • You can cut out the patterns through the dough and parchment paper.

  • Space the pieces on the cookie sheet an inch apart from each other.

  • Now bake the cookies in a 350°F oven. It may take 11-15 minutes for the large pieces, 6-8 minutes for the small pieces.

  • Rotate the cookie sheets halfway through the baking for more even browning. Remove the sheets to racks to cool, about 15 minutes.

  • While the pieces are still warm, lay the pattern pieces over them and trim off any parts of the pieces that have through cooking beyond the patterns. Christmas 2020 Delicious Dessert Recipes: Rum & Raisin Cake, Cookies, Pudding, & More, These 7 Sweet Treats Will ‘Bake’ You Happy (Watch Videos)

Using two large egg whites and 2 2/3 cup powdered sugar make an icing.

  • Fill a pastry bag with the icing, just cut off the tip and make the designs on it.

  • Now, line the base with aluminium foil or wax paper.

  • Pipe a thick line of icing along a short end of one of the side pieces.

  • Hold in place for a few minutes until the icing is partially set.

  • Pipe icing along the seams to fill in any gaps.

  • Set for at least an hour before attempting to add the roof pieces.

  • Once the icing has dried and teh structure looks solid, you can work on the roof.

Now arrange it to make each section of the house and fix it in the shape. Now, you can add candies, gumdrops, waffle cookies and chocolate truffles. You can make it beautiful with more icing on it. We hope you enjoyed the process. Happy Gingerbread House Day!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 12, 2020 10:11 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).