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INGREDIENTS:
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1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine (Parkay) NOTE:
Use butter when baking edible gingerbread, such as gingerbread men or
cookies. Use margarine when making non-edible gingerbread, such as
for houses. |
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1 cup granulated sugar |
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1/2 cup dark molasses |
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1/4 cup light molasses (NOTE:
Instead of using a mixture of dark and light molasses, use a total of 3/4
cup of medium, or your favorite kind) |
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4 tsp ground ginger |
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3 tsp ground cinnamon |
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3 tsp ground nutmeg |
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1/2 tsp ground cloves |
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1 tsp salt |
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3 tsp baking powder |
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1 tsp baking soda |
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6 cups pastry flour (OR use 2 cups cake
flour WITH 4 cups of all-purpose flour, instead of 6 cups pastry flour)
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Plus, 2 cups all-purpose flour |
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1 cup milk |
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Egg wash:
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2 egg yolks beaten with |
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2 Tbsp. milk or water |
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Chocolate dough can be achieved with replacing 1
cup of the cake or pastry flour with regular
unsweetened baking cocoa. (Such
as Hershey's, not alkalized)
NOTE: The type of
molasses you use, will give you the color of the finished dough. A
light or mild molasses will give you a light color, where the deep blackstrap
will give you a much darker color. For houses etc that you want a different
color, simply make the dough several times with different types of molasses.
If you are planning on
using this recipe for houses, I suggest cutting the leavening down to 1 tsp of
baking powder and 1/2 tsp of baking soda. You won't have as much
"puff" on the cookie and it will make structures easier to put together. I
suggest baking for a longer period until the dough is very firm to hard in the
oven for decorations and structures. If you do not want any "puff" in the dough,
simply leave out the leavening all together. I would not consider this dough an
eating dough.
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INSTRUCTIONS:
Click on any photo to enlarge it. To
return here, use the "back" arrow key on your browser. |
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#1
- BOTH COOKIES &
HOUSE: In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer,
cream the butter/margarine and sugar until combined. Scrape
the bowl, add the molasses and beat on
low until combined. Be sure to scrape the bowl. It will have a slightly
curdled looking, but smooth appearance.
In a large bowl,
combine the dry ingredients and mix with a whisk or fork. Add the
flour mixture and milk to the butter/sugar mixture with the mixer on low:
alternate the dry ingredients and milk, beginning and ending with dry
ingredients. Be sure that you scrape the bowl well, so no dry pieces of
dough are left at the bottom. |
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#2
- BOTH:
As you mix, the dough will first form
a lump in the center, then begin to stick to the sides of the bowl. If the
mixture seems on the dry side, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until it
is smooth.
You want a smooth, uniform dough that is
thick and dense, but not overly sticky. The dough should have a leathery
feel to it, but not be dry. |
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#3
- BOTH: Divide the dough in thirds and wrap in plastic wrap.
Flatten into a rectangle. Refrigerate for a good day, even two. This dough
is "leathery" and the colder it is, the easier it will be to roll. Chill
on a metal sheet pan. This will keep the dough flat and the metal will
help it chill faster. I use many 9x13 size sheet pans for this purpose.
When ready to bake, adjust the oven shelf to the
middle rung, or if using two, the upper and lower thirds. Preheat your
oven to 350 degrees F.
Line several sheet pans with parchment
paper or Silpat Baking Mats.
If neither is used, use lightly sprayed foil on your sheet pans. This way
you can remove the foil after the pan has cooled completely and re-use for
other baking. |
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# 4 -
BOTH: When
ready to roll out, use a liberally
floured board. Dust flour on top of the dough. With a dry pastry brush,
brush off excess flour. Work quickly, once the dough warms, it will be
soft and more difficult, but not impossible, to work with.
Roll to 1/4- inch thickness for
either the house or gingerbread men.
For a perfect thickness,
use two dowel rods and lay them on either side of the dough. They will
prevent you from rolling too thin, thick or unevenly. I use this
technique when I want perfect little gingerbread boys and girls for
decorating etc. NOTE: If you are
planning on using cereal
or another cover for the entire roof, roll the roof pieces a
little thinner so the look isn't as bulky. |
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#5 - HOUSES: Lay on your
Gingerbread House
pattern and be sure that you over-cut slightly with the tip of a
sharp knife. This will ensure that you have perfectly cut corners. Do NOT
draw the knife through the dough, but place the knife and press down with
one straight cut. Rock forward to cut with the tip of the knife.
COOKIES:
Lightly dust the edge of a cookie cutter with flour and then press cutter
straight down into the dough. Do not wiggle the cutter. |
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#6 -
HOUSES: For cutting out small openings like windows, doors,
etc. use a small, sharp paring knife. Slowly cut with an up and down
motion, do not draw the knife through the dough. Be sure that the corners
are evenly cut. |
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#7 - HOUSES: Reach under the piece and
"pop" out the window. |
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# 8 -
HOUSES: For a shutter or door, save the cut out piece. To mark
a shutter before baking, press the knife into the dough to make
impressions, then cut in half. |
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#9 - BOTH: Transfer carefully to
sheet pans with a metal spatula. Leave room in between the pieces because
during baking, the dough expands quite a bit when it has baking powder and
soda in the recipe.
HOUSES:
Arrange the pieces on the sheet pan to be sure they do not touch.
The smaller pieces in the middle so they do not burn. For larger houses,
you will not be able to fit the whole house on one sheet pan, so bake as
many as you need for your pattern. The small house I made is the perfect
size for little helpers to decorate themselves.
COOKIES:
Arrange the pieces on the sheet pan to be sure they do not touch. |
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#10 -
BOTH: If you wish to freeze the unbaked pieces, simply place a
piece of parchment paper between the layers. Be sure you line up the same
pieces on the top as are on the bottom. This will ensure that the pieces
lie flat in the freezer. |
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#11 - BOTH: Before baking,
prepare you egg wash (beat 1 egg with 1 teaspoon of water) and beat with a
fork until it's smooth. Then, brush the gingerbread evenly. This will give
a nice finish to your cookies or house pieces. If you want a high shine,
before they are done baking, brush them again and finish baking in the
oven. |
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#12 - HOUSES:
If you want the windows to have candy "glass" in them, this can be done
while the house pieces are baking. Place the unwrapped candy in a food
processor and pulse until there are small pieces and some will be powdery.
For the windows, bake your house pieces for
10 minutes, turn and bake for 5 minutes or until the gingerbread is still
soft and becoming golden. Carefully spoon the crushed candy into the
windows and return to the oven. Bake for only 5 minutes to melt the candy
and adhere it to the gingerbread. You don't want it to boil up onto the
surface of the pieces. |
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#13 - HOUSES:
Bake for a total of 18 - 20 minutes as follows:
bake 10 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for 8 to 10 minutes more.
COOKIES:
The baking time will depend on the size of the
cookies. For an average "hand-sized" gingerbread man, it will take
12 minutes for a soft cookie, perfect for eating. As with all
cookies, you want to rotate the pans in the middle of the estimated time,
to ensure even baking.
BOTH: To
be sure the gingerbread is done, it should be firm, yet slightly spongy
when touched. Do not let it brown. |
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#14 -
When removing the baked gingerbread from the oven, be sure that you let it
cool completely flat. I like to place a piece of waxed paper on the
countertop and let the cookie cool on it until hardened. Then, I
transfer it to a wire cake rack to thoroughly cool. |
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#15 - To save the baked pieces for later
construction, lay down a piece of plastic wrap, then lay the pieces face
down. Pull the plastic over the top and lay on the next pieces, face up.
The plastic should be in between the pieces to be sure that they don't
stick to each other. Place this inside a zip bag for long term storage.
Keep in a dark, cool, dry place for about 2 weeks. They will soften with
time, so when you remove them from the plastic, the windows will be sticky
and you will need to allow the gingerbread to dry out overnight to firm it
up.
GO TO
Gingerbread HOME Page - How
to Pull it All Together & Decorate |
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