How to make a gingerbread house
Always wanted to try out this Christmas classic? Follow our handy guide to help you bake, decorate and assemble, then you’ll be home sweet home.
1. Cut stencils from baking paper
For perfectly even gingerbread house pieces, use stencils as a guide to help you cut shapes from the dough. Make sure you use a ruler to help you draw accurate shapes on the paper.
2. Get your portions right
For easier rolling and to make sure you have enough dough for each piece of the gingerbread house, cut the dough evenly into 6 portions before you start rolling it out.
3. Roll out on baking paper
Handling gingerbread can warp the shapes. Roll out each dough portion on baking paper, then cut out the shapes before transferring the paper (with the dough still on it) to a baking tray.
4. Pipe on a border
The wall and roof pieces will eventually be coated in icing. To keep the icing even and stop it running over the edges, pipe a border of royal icing around the edges of the pieces first and allow it to dry.
5. Make the runny icing
For the icing to coat the gingerbread pieces, it needs to spread easily but set hard. Adding the extra lemon juice will thin the icing and make it runny and spreadable, while adding the extra egg white will set it firmly.
6. Use a glass to hold it up
Royal icing dries hard and will hold the gingerbread pieces together, but it needs a little help to keep the pieces together while it dries. Use a glass or jar to keep the gingerbread pieces upright.
Our tip: make it in stages! You can bake the gingerbread biscuits up to 2 days ahead and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Then, simply make the royal icing when you’re ready to assemble.