Baking ingredients
- 600 g strong plain flour
- 2 tsp mixed spice
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 2 egg yolks
- 175 ml golden syrup
- 115 g dark brown sugar
- 115 g butter
- 4 tsp bicarbonate of soda - dissolved in 4 teaspoons of cold water
Decorating ingredients
- 500 g Renshaw White Ready to Roll Icing
- 250 g Renshaw Pink Ready to Roll Icing
- 250 g Renshaw Poppy Red Ready to Roll Icing
- 250 g Renshaw Lincoln Green Ready to Roll Icing
- 250 g Renshaw Deep Purple Ready to Roll Icing
- 300 g Renshaw Chocolate Ready to Roll Icing
- 300 g Renshaw Teddy Bear Brown Ready to Roll Icing
- 200 g dark chocolate - melted
- White royal icing
Renshaw products used
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Instructions
Baking Instructions:
Step 1
Sieve together the strong plain flour, mixed spice and ginger into a large heat proof bowl.
Step 2
Lightly whisk the egg yolks.
Step 3
Melt the golden syrup, dark brown sugar and butter together in a saucepan. Do not allow to boil.
Step 4
Make a well in middle of flour and spice mix.
Step 5
Pour in the melted syrup, dark brown sugar and butter along with the egg yolks and the bicarbonate of soda.
Step 6
Stir to combine.
Step 7
Test the temperature, making sure it is not too hot to handle and knead into a pliable dough in the bowl.
Step 8
Transfer the dough into an airtight plastic bag and allow to rest at room temperature for 20–30 minutes.
Step 9
Pre- heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
Step 10
Cut out several sheets of non-stick baking paper, each to fit your baking sheet.
Step 11
Out of the baking paper, cut out two roof panels, two side walls panels and a front and back wall panel using the following templates.
Step 12
Roll one third of the gingerbread dough directly onto the baking paper to 5mm thickness.
Step 13
Depending on the size of your baking sheet cut out two or three sections of the house by cutting neatly around the cut out baking sheet templates.
Step 14
Remove the excess gingerbread dough and allow plenty of space between each gingerbread panel as the gingerbread will expand during cooking.
Step 15
Repeat with the remaining dough. You may need to do several bakes to complete all the gingerbread house panels required.
Step 16
Bake each batch for 12-15 minutes until evenly golden brown.
Step 17
Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Decorating Instructions:
Step 18
Several days ahead, knead and roll out the Renshaw White Ready to Roll Icing to cover a 10in drum. Set aside to firm.
Step 19
Using a number 1.5 piping tube, pipe a pretty freehand pattern of white royal icing along the centre of the front and back panels and two side walls of the gingerbread house.
Step 20
Knead and roll out the Renshaw Pink Ready to Roll Icing to 2mm thickness and cut out nine 3cm by 3cm squares using a small knife or square cutter. Then cut out two small hearts and put to one side to finish the roof. Fix the squares on the walls with a little cooled boiled water to create window panes.
Step 21
Using white royal icing, pipe square window frames in a cross shape over the pink icing window panes and beaded pearls along the bottom of the window panes to create snow.
Step 22
Knead and roll out the Renshaw Poppy Red Ready to Roll Icing to form the door and emboss vertical lines with a knife. Add a small hollow circle moulded out of Renshaw Lincoln Green Ready to Roll Icing to form the wreath and a small pea sized ball of Renshaw Deep Purple Ready to Roll Icing to form the door handle, sticking both on the red icing door using cooled boiled water.
Step 23
Fix the red icing door to the front panel of the gingerbread house using cooled boiled water and add a little snow on top of the door by piping beads of white royal icing.
Step 24
Knead and roll out the Renshaw Chocolate Ready to Roll Icing to 2mm thickness and cut lots of 3cm square panels for the roof tiles. Fix onto the gingerbread house roof panels using cooled boiled water, overlapping the tiles as they are applied.
Step 25
Assemble the walls onto the pre-iced cake board using melted dark chocolate to bond the walls. Support the panels with sponges while the chocolate hardens.
Step 26
Once the wall joints have set firm, fix the roof panels in place one at a time with melted chocolate. Allow the roof joints to set firm.
Step 27
Cut a long thin strip of chocolate icing and fix to the roof apex to neaten. Trim to size once in position using a sharp knife.
Step 28
Roll out thin sausages of poppy red and white icing. Twist together to form a rope twist and fix to the apex of the roof, sticking in place using cooled boiled water.
Step 29
Knead and roll out the remaining poppy red icing, and use a circle cutter or a scallop edge cutter to create red semi-circles to decorate the front and back gables. Fix in position using cooled boiled water. Decorate each scallop with a white icing circle piped with white royal icing.
Step 30
Cut two chocolate icing hearts then stick two smaller pink hearts on top using cooled boiled water. Position at the front and back of the roof ape, again sticking in place with cooled boiled water.
Step 31
Knead and roll out the Renshaw Teddy Bear Brown Ready to Roll Icing. Cut out a path and texture with the end of a paintbrush. Form the path borders with two thin sausages of green icing textured with a cocktail stick and position in place leading to the gingerbread house door. Stick to the white icing covered drum using cooled boiled water and trim any excess brown icing with a small sharp knife.
Step 32
Form small ping pong sized balls of green icing into cone shapes and snip branches with a pair of fine scissors to create Christmas trees. Stick to the white icing covered boards using cooled boiled water,
Step 33
Form two cherry sized balls of chocolate icing into flower pots and position either side of the front door. Decorate with tiny blossom shapes cut out of red icing, sticking in place using cooled boiled water.