Cooking recipes - Desserts - How to make Gingerbread House?
The gingerbread house is a Christmas must-have that children love! The famous gingerbread appeared in Europe in the 16th century, first in Germany and the Scandinavian countries.
Whether in the form of cakes or small cakes, it is difficult to resist its honey and spice flavours. With this recipe, you will learn how to make a festive home in all simplicity. Even the youngest children will be able to take part in its creation and will enjoy decorating it in a thousand and one ways.
How long does it take to make your gingerbread house?
- Preparation: 1 hour
- Cooking time: 20 min
- Rest: 1 day
The ingredients to make your gingerbread home:
For 8 people:
For the gingerbread:
- 1 kg of flour
- 2 eggs
- 500 g of honey
- 240 g brown sugar
- 200 g butter
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 15 cl of milk
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoons ginger
- 1 pinch of salt
For the royal glaze :
- 500 g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
- 3 egg whites
The stages of the recipe for your gingerbread home :
Start by making the home-made gingerbread. Pour the honey, brown sugar and butter into a saucepan. Melt over low heat.
Pour the sifted flour and baking powder into a salad bowl. Add the spices and a pinch of salt. Mix together. Add the eggs and the honey mixture. Knead the dough for a few minutes until you obtain a homogeneous ball. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in a cool place for 2 hours.
Spread the gingerbread dough on a lightly floured worktop. Use a template to cut out the different elements. Cut out the windows and the door with a cookie cutter. Arrange the elements on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake for about 20 minutes (oven preheated to 170°C). Allow the gingerbread to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the royal icing. Pour the egg whites into a salad bowl. Add the icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Beat until the royal icing is thick and sticky. If necessary, adjust the amount of icing sugar or lemon juice. Transfer the royal icing to a piping bag.
Cover the base of the walls with icing and glue the walls to your base (wooden or plastic board covered with aluminium foil). Hold them in place with cans. If necessary, add more glaze. Let dry for at least 1 hour.
When the walls are firm, coat the edges of the roof panels with glaze. Lay the panels out one by one, holding them for about 10 minutes to dry. Leave the gingerbread house to dry overnight.
The next day, proceed with the decoration of the house. Let the children imagine decorations with sweets, pretzels, caramels, almonds, chocolate... This gingerbread house can be kept for several weeks. You can therefore prepare it in advance and enjoy it on Christmas Day.
Tip: If you wish, you can replace the royal icing with a homemade caramel. This will allow you to weld all the gingerbread elements together to make this gingerbread house easily. To do this, melt 225 g of caster sugar with 10 cl of water in a saucepan. When the caramel is golden brown, proceed in the same way as with the royal icing.
