Good holiday recipe for gingerbread houses?!
Answers: anyone know a good recipe fot gingerbread houses?
Here's a recipe that I always use.
Flowers (not Flour, FLOWERS)
Honey,
and a whole lotta love:)
Here you go. Hope this helps.
Gingerbread House Recipe.
Ingredients:
6 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
2/3 cups shortening
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 eight-ounce container sour cream
2 eggs
Steps:
To prepare dough:
Into large bowl, ,measure 3 1/2 cups flour and remaining ingredients. With mixer at low speed, beat until well mixed, constantly scraping bowl with rubber spatula. With hand, knead in remaining 2 1/2 cups flour to make a soft dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or until dough is not sticky and is of easy kneading consistency.
To roll dough:
Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Working with half of a batch at a time on a lightly floured work surface with lightly floured hands, knead dough until smooth. Then on a greased and floured 17" x 14" cookie sheet, with lightly floured rolling pin roll dough to 3/16" or 1/8" thickness. You can use dowels ofthe same size at either side of the dough on the cookie sheet to help create a uniform thickness. (For easy rolling, place cookie sheet on a damp cloth to prevent it from slipping.)
To cut and bake dough:
Make your pattern pieces of heavy cardboard. Lay them on the dough and using a sharp knife use as many pieces as you can from the rolled dough on your cookie sheet, leaving at least 1/2" inch between the pieces. Remove scraps and reserve for re rolling. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator if there is room while the oven preheats. Bake until golden brown and very firm when lightly touched with your finger. Remove cookie sheet from oven and cool on wire rack 5 minutes. Carefully remove the baked pieces from cookie sheet and place on wire rack to cool completely.
GINGERBREAD RECIPE FOR GINGERBREAD
HOUSES
1/2 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. molasses
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/3 c. water
Cream butter and sugar thoroughly with electric mixer. Beat in molasses. Blend all dry ingredients. Alternately add blended dry ingredients and water to the butter-sugar mixture. Dough will become stiff, so that the last dry addition may need to be blended by hand. Work dough until it is smooth in consistency. If dough sticks to your hands, lightly dust them with flour. Carefully though, too much flour makes dough dry and hard.
When dough is easy to work, you're ready to roll it out and make your gingerbread house pieces. If you're not going to make your gingerbread house right away, wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate (up to 1 week). Bring to room temperature before rolling (3 hours).
Note: You may need to make up to 3 recipes to make your gingerbread house. Make each separately and cover with plastic wrap. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Patterns for gingerbread houses may be of your own design or found in Gingerbread kits. Be sure to cut two front-back pieces, two side walls and two roof pieces.
Gingerbread House Notes:
1. The secret to a perfect Gingerbread House is to roll out the dough on the back of your cookie sheet and cut around the pattern (removing only the dough from around the pattern). Bake on back of cookie sheet.
2. After baking the house pieces, place the pattern over each part while they are still warm and trim to pattern size any puffy or out of shape lines.
3. After baking, remove from cookie sheets and let dry overnight on oven racks in a 200 degree oven. You want all pieces to be solid and dry (like bricks).
4. Use stiff consistency Royal icing to glue walls together and decorate with candies.