Christmas Gingerbread House

Last weekend Oscar and I made our Gingerbread House for Christmas. We made one last year for the first time and he loved it. The dough can quite easily be made without spices, making it FAILSAFE (we use only cinnamon) and can be decorated with suitable lollies or plastic decorations. It is suggested that the dough rest for at least one week, so there is still time to make one for your family this Christmas. And if a Gingerbread House seems too hard, how about some Gingerbread Men?

Gingerbread House

Gingerbread (or “No-ginger bread”) Dough

Print recipe

Gingerbread (or “No-ginger bread”) Dough

Serves	1 batch
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	35 minutes
Allergy / Intolerance	Amines, Artificial Addititives, Artificial Colours, Egg, Glutamates, Preservatives, Salicylates
Suitable for	RPAH Elimination Diet - Low Chemical / Failsafe, RPAH Elimination Diet – Very High Chemical, Salicylate Challenge
Meal type	Sweet Things
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold
Occasion	Christmas, Special Occasions
By author	Greg Williams, William Angliss Institute

Gingerbread dough for biscuits or gingerbread houses, low salicylate, no spice

Ingredients

300g butter (melted)
500g white sugar
100g golden syrup
200ml water
10g bicarbonate of soda
600g bakers flour
300g rye flour
Extra rye flour (for rolling)

Refer to notes: (Optional)

7.5g ground ginger (approximately 4 teaspoons)
15g cinnamon (approximately 2 tablespoons)
7.5g ground cloves (approximately 1 tablespoon)
2.5g cardamom (approximately 1 1/4 teaspoon)
2.5g nutmeg or mixed spice (approximately 1 teaspoon)

Directions

1.	Combine the butter, sugar, golden syrup and spices (if using) in a large bowl and mix together by hand.
2.	Place the bicarb soda into a small bowl and add a little bit of the water.
3.	Add the remaining water to the sugar mix then add the bicarb soda.
4.	Blend the flours into the mixture by hand. When the flour is almost all combined turn it out onto a bench and divide into two pieces. Wrap the pieces in plastic and store in the fridge.
5.	To make the gingerbread pieces for a gingerbread house or biscuits, preheat the oven to 190°C and line baking trays with baking paper.
6.	Take a section of one of your pieces of dough and roll it out to 6 mm thick using the extra rye flour for dusting. Work the dough as little as possible. I use two 6 mm pieces of square dowel to ensure an even thickness when rolling.
7.	Cut out the required shapes and transfer to the baking trays.
8.	Add some fresh dough to the scraps and repeat.
9.	Bake the gingerbread in the oven until pressing a finger on top does not leave an impression. For large biscuit cutter shapes this is about 15 minutes, for small ones 8 minutes.

Note

Low Chemical / Failsafe, Very High Salicylates

Gingerbread is best when it is made a couple of weeks in advance and stored in the fridge. For longer storage place it in the freezer (for up to 2 years).

The cooked biscuits can be used as Christmas decorations and eaten at Christmas (just watch out for ants). Decorate with Royal Icing, which will harden.

If the spices (very high salicylates) can't be tolerated you can reduced the amount or change the combination of spice or leave it out altogether. This will obviously change the flavour of the "ginger" bread, but won't affect the texture of the dough.

I used a converter from Gourmet Sleuth to calculate the approximate volumes of the spices listed in grams.

This recipe will make enough dough for one Gingerbread House and plenty of biscuits.

Print recipe

Serves	1
Prep time	2 hours, 30 minutes
Cook time	15 minutes
Total time	2 hours, 45 minutes
Allergy / Intolerance	Amines, Artificial Addititives, Artificial Colours, Glutamates, Preservatives, Salicylates
Suitable for	RPAH Elimination Diet - Low Chemical / Failsafe, RPAH Elimination Diet – Very High Chemical
Meal type	Sweet Things
Misc	Child Friendly, Pre-preparable
Occasion	Christmas, Special Occasions

Easy to make Gingerbread House

Ingredients

1 Batch Gingerbread dough (Refer to recipe)
Rye flour (For rolling)
4-6 Allergy Train Pear Drops (crushed)
24cm round cake board
1 sheet clear cellophane (750 x 1000 mm)
Ribbon

To decorate:

1 Allergy Train white musk stick
6 Allen's Freckles
Nestle Smarties
4 Tru Sweets Organic Candy Canes (available from Allergy Train)
Craft red holly berries on wire
Pure icing sugar (for sprinkling)

Royal icing:

2 egg whites
400g pure icing sguar (sifted)

Directions

Making the gingerbread parts:
1.	Preheat the oven to 190°C and line baking trays with baking paper.
2.	Cut out the template shapes.
3.	Take a section of one of your pieces of dough and roll it out to 6 mm thick using the rye flour for dusting. Work the dough as little as possible. I use two 6 mm pieces of square dowel to ensure an even thickness when rolling.
4.	Cut out the required shapes and transfer to the baking trays.
5.	Add some fresh dough to the scraps and repeat until all the shapes have been cut out. Use a small biscuit cutter to cut out windows in the back and front pieces. Cut the door out of the front piece then trim the sides so that it is slightly smaller than the opening (the gingerbread will expand when baked).
6.	Using a pallet knife, score the dough for the sides, front and back pieces with lines for bricks.
7.	Using the rounded end of pallet knife create "shingles" on the roof pieces.
8.	Place the trays in the oven and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes until pressing a finger on top does not leave an impression. To make stained glass windows, remove the tray with the front and back pieces after 8 minutes and fill the hole in each of the biscuits with the crushed pear drops, enough to fill the hole when melted, then return to the oven.
9.	Once the gingerbread has cooked allow it to cool on the tray for 10 minutes, or until is cool enough to be handled.
10.	Using the original stencils trim all the pieces back to their original size. Trim the door pieces so that it fits in the doorway. The base piece can be trimmed or left as is, just make sure it fits on the cake board.
11.	For the two roof pieces, take off a small section along the top of each piece at a 45° angle, so that the pieces can be joined together in a point.
12.	Let the pieces cool completely.
Royal Icing:
13.	Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, start mixing the egg white and slowly add the icing sugar. Mix the icing sugar in thoroughly before adding more.
14.	Keep adding icing sugar until hard peaks are achieved.
15.	Cover the royal icing with plastic wrap, a damp cloth or lid until ready to use and in between filling the piping bag. Remix the icing before using.
Assembling the Gingerbread House:
16.	Add some of the icing to a piping bag with a wide nozzle.
17.	Place the base piece on a flat surface and cover with a thick covering of royal icing using a palette knife.
18.	Place the back and two side pieces onto the base and pipe a strip of icing down the inside joins.
19.	Position the front piece and pipe a strip of icing down the inside joins.
20.	Allow the sides, front and back to set a bit before starting the roof. Keep the royal icing covered.
21.	Pipe a strip of icing over the top of the front and back pieces and along the top section of one roof piece. Place the two roof pieces on top and push gently into position. Allow the roof to set a bit before decorating. Squeeze the remaining icing in the bag back into the bowl and keep covered.
22.	When you are ready to decorate add a little bit of water to the remaining royal icing and thin it out. Transfer some of the icing to a piping bag with a thin nozzle and keep the remaining icing covered.
23.	Decorate the Gingerbread house with the piped icing along the top of the roof, along the joins, around the windows, over the door and roof edges, as desired. Don't make the icing too heavy as the pieces may slide apart. "Glue" together the two chimney pieces with icing and stick it to the roof with some more. Cover the top and sides of the chimney with more icing.
24.	Decorate the roof by piping loops of icing over the surface and sticking Smarties on with a bit of icing on the back.
25.	Create a fence along the sides of the house using two candy canes per fence.
26.	Create a pathway across the front and back of the house using the Freckles as stepping stones.
27.	Create a little wood pile at the front of the house using the musk stick cut into 3 pieces.
28.	Position the red holly berries around the house and along the fences.
29.	Pipe some snow over the fences, wood pile and berries.
30.	When finished decorating, sprinkle extra icing sugar over the top using a sifter, to create freshly fallen snow.
31.	Transfer the Gingerbread House to the cake board and wrap with cellophane.
32.	Secure the cellophane at the top with a ribbon and trim, using sticky tape to close any gaps or pieces that are sticking out.

Note

Low Chemical / Failsafe, Very High Salicylates, Very High Amines

Nestle Smarties and Allen's Freckles contain very high amines (chocolate) and very high salicylates (natural colours). The Organic Candy Canes are available from Allergy Train and are very high in salicylates, amines and glutamates. Allergy Train Pear Drops and Musk Sticks are low chemical / Failsafe. You can also make fences, trees and people out of gingerbread to include around the base.

For a low chemical gingerbread house make the gingerbread dough without the spices and use only low chemical lollies, royal icing and icing sugar for decorating, with additional plastic decorations.

Any left over dough can be used to make gingerbread biscuits or frozen to use again later.

The Gingerbread dough should be made in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to use, preferrably 1 to 2 weeks.

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Christmas Gingerbread House

Gingerbread (or “No-ginger bread”) Dough