Foreign Christmas traditions: gingerbread houses

"What are we building a house to build!", - "construction" edible gingerbread houses is not as difficult as it seems. Especially if you have a good and detailed instructions.

Preparation of gingerbread houses in our country is quite impossible to call tradition, they make them very, very few. Fortunately, or unfortunately - most cooks do not undertake the preparation of such delicacy because of its apparent complexity, afraid not cope. Yes, of time, of course it will take a lot, but it's worth it - creating confectionary masterpieces with your own hands, first, bringing great pleasure to the process, especially if you do things with your kids, and even better - the whole family. And secondly, this culinary and fabulous work of art will become a very effective decoration of the new year and Christmas table, and its edibility is another weighty argument in favor of having to spend time creating a gingerbread house.

The tradition of making gingerbread houses is rooted in the Ancient Rome, where the wealthy are prepared edible "home" from the test for the gods of his home Pantheon. First, these houses adorned the altar, as was believed at that time they were visited by the gods, then they were eaten by the whole family, which symbolized the unity with the gods. However, after the ancient paganism of the past, this tradition has long been forgotten. Revived the tradition in Germany in 1812. after the publication of the brothers Grimm fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel", in which the fairy-tale characters are trapped in the lair of the evil witches that were nothing like the beautiful edible gingerbread house, built entirely of only some sweets, which began literally eat the heroes of fairy tales. This tradition became so popular, and to this day in Western Europe and America every year before Christmas competitions and exhibitions such culinary masterpieces.

"Building" gingerbread house

It is best to undertake the preparation of a gingerbread house with the whole family. Anyone can be a designer, someone architect, will not do without "masons" and "decorators". The process will give great pleasure and will certainly give the Christmas mood. To subdivide it into several stages:

• Designing the future of the house, Palace, Palace, or a fabulous unprecedented construction: think of what will be the design and design of your house, on thick paper, draw all the items in a scale of 1 to 1, cut them out to make templates.
• Prepare gingerbread dough, roll it into the reservoir and apply the templates, cut out the necessary details of the dough with a knife.
• Bake cut out details of the future building until cooked in the oven.
• Prepare sugar or protein fondant (icing) for bonding parts.
• Glue the house and decorate it.

For jewelry can be used any sweets: candied fruits, colorful confectionery paste, marzipan, chocolate, jelly, fondant and icing, candied and dried berries, fruits, etc.

How much will be your house, without compromising the taste of the product depends on the test. As a rule, even when using the best suited gingerbread dough (long charteuse) the house can stand no longer than 2-3 weeks. If you didn't eat your creation, it will become tasteless.

And now let's proceed to the main point - the preparation of dough.

Best for gingerbread houses to use honey dough, cooked custard way - it tastes better and long stays soft and fragrant.

The dough recipe for a gingerbread house

Need (output - 850g): 3 cups (250ml) flour, 3/4 Cup honey, 100g butter, ? glass of water/yogurt/yogurt/sour, 1 egg, ? tsp. soda or 50-150g sour cream ? tsp. crushed spices (coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, star anise, allspice), not necessarily - 2 tbsp vodka/brandy/rum (if added, slightly reduced the amount of water).

How to prepare the dough for a gingerbread house. In a saucepan put the honey, pour in water, heating the mixture to 70-75 degrees, add half of the sifted flour, pounded spices, quickly stir with a wooden spoon or spatula - if you do not stir the flour will stick together in clumps. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, the dough should not be warm (!), beat the egg, pour the fat sour cream, add remaining sifted flour, knead the dough until soft from 10 to 40 minutes. The dough should not be too steep - bad will rise and it will be hard, but not too soft - it will be difficult to be molded and will not hold the shape of the workpiece rasplyvetsya. Perfect consistency test is plastic, not too sticky to the table and hands, easy molding. Ready to roll out the dough on a floured surface into the reservoir 5-8mm thickness, cut with the help of stencils parts of the house, put them on with buttered the parchment baking sheet, brush with egg yolk using a cooking brush, bake in a preheated 220-240 � oven for 8 to 15 min.

Create the layout of your house by yourself or find a suitable ready variant of the drawings (patterns) gingerbread houses. Tip: on the one side of the faade make this hole that was part of your hand then you will be able to put in the house flashlight, and it will glow.

Once baked all parts of the house should be prepared adhesive coating for bonding.

The recipe for the glaze to bond the parts of a gingerbread house

You will need: 400g icing sugar, 2 egg whites.

How to make glue glaze. Until a light foam to beat up the whites gradually in parts add powdered sugar, mixing the protein mass until thick and sticky state.

Add some frosting food coloring and make your house colour!

That's it - now the only thing left to fasten the parts with glue-coating to give the house to dry out and start decorating.

Lubricate all joints glaze liberally, then the design will be reliable. Well, then see several options gingerbread houses, which will help to unlock your imagination and inspire! Successful preparation for the holidays and good mood!

To seal the house can not only eisinga (protein glaze), but honey, chocolate.