Ingredients

Gingerbread Dough

  • 1 cup Sunshine Premium Blend molasses
  • 1 cup vegetable shortening (or butter)
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup Sunshine White or Raw sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 7 cups plain flour
  • ½ tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground ginger

Icing

  • 4 egg whites
  • 6-7 cups icing sugar
  • 2 tsp cream of tarter

Method

Make the Gingerbread Dough

In a small bowl, combine baking soda and water and stir to dissolve, set aside.

In a large saucepan combine molasses and shortening. Bring the molasses and shortening to the boil, stirring frequently. Once boiling, remove from heat and stir in the soda/water mixture, mixing well to combine.

In a large mixing bowl, use an electric or stand mixer to combine the sugar, eggs and vanilla.

Add the molasses/shortening mixture to the sugar/egg mixture and mix well to combine.

Add the flour, salt and spices and mix to combine.

Place dough in a large zip lock bag and smash using the palm of your hand to shape it into a large, flat disk inside of the bag.

Refrigerate the gingerbread for several hours.

 

Bake the Gingerbread House Pieces (pattern included in pdf document)

Preheat oven to 190° C.

Remove the gingerbread dough from the fridge and allow it to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Cut dough into four equal pieces and mould each piece into a thick rectangle.

Place a damp towel on benchtop and place a piece of baking paper on top of the towel. (The damp towel will keep the baking paper from sliding as you roll out the dough.)

Lightly dust your hands and one of the pieces of gingerbread with flour. Roll the piece into a large rectangle, no more than 8mm thick.

Before you bake the gingerbread, make sure the pattern pieces you will cut from that piece of gingerbread fit on top of the dough that is rolled out.

Place the gingerbread (still on the baking paper) onto a large baking sheet and bake at 190° C for 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven.

Cut the house pattern pieces while the gingerbread is still warm from the oven.

As each batch comes out of the oven, place pattern pieces on top and use a sharp serrated knife to cut the pattern out, pulling the scraps away from the pieces you cut.  Allow gingerbread to cool completely before removing from the baking paper.

 

Prepare the Icing

Place all ingredients into a metal mixing bowl. Beat until smooth and standing peaks (about 4-6 minutes).

Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth as you use the icing (this will help keep it from drying out).

 

Decorating the Gingerbread House

Instructions and decorating tips in the downloadable pdf document.

Download: Make from Scratch Gingerbread House