Ginger is finally revealed

Inspiration: My very own gingerbread house

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Created: Wed 15 Jan 2003 14:50

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I have always wanted to make a gingerbread house. 2002 was the year - well, that's what I kept telling myself. But then, suddenly, it was 2003. And I couldn't wait until Christmas 2003, I just couldn't. So, a January gingerbread house it is.

I've always loved little crafty projects, but I never find the time to do any. I'm still trying to finish my patchwork quilt from high school (just the quilting and finishing edges to go!). A few years ago, I made my own Christmas wrapping paper, and then there's my daily origami desk calendar (which I'm doing again this year) to keep my fingers nimble.

I was excited to get my teeth into something new. First stop: the web. I had no idea how to make a gingerbread house (how do they get that icing stuff so hard that it makes things defy gravity?), so I had to research it. I decided to follow the recipe and instructions from Dinner Co-op, because they looked very well laid out. So, off I went. What follows is my experience, plus any little additional hints and problems I had, and, of course, photos!

Day 1

Making the dough comes first. You'd think this would be the easy part. Right from the start, though, I had problems, and the whole project could have been doomed, if I wasn't chameleon-like at coping. See, I'd purchased "large" eggs, and when you're using 6 eggs, purchasing large instead of regular can really throw the balance out. My suggestion: buy regular sized eggs. But if you make the same mistake as me, then just keep adding flour until the mix is able to be kneaded into a single ball, instead of being far too runny (I had to add about an extra cup - maybe even more). Crisis averted.

My only piece of advice for this bit is that the instructions say you'll need a spatula, but I ignored them, thinking I could get by with a knife. Not particularly wise, but it didn't matter that much. I just had to pound the dough back into shape once I'd moved it to the tray. I ended up with some wonky edges as a result, but it all adds character, so not to worry!

The end of a satisfying first day - checking out the results of the crushed-up lifesaver windows. These were a brilliant idea, and they work really well. I was hoping that the colour would be noticeable once heated, but it actually just blends in together, so it would have been good to try a window containing just a single colour.

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