Gingerbread House (Part One- Making and Baking)

Guess what? My oven is back! Well actually it is a completely different one but it works so I'm super happy, just in time for some serious Christmas baking. I didn't waste any time testing it out with something I've been dying to make for ages, my very first gingerbread house. I love ginger bread and pretty gingerbread houses but have always been worried about building one myself. I was convinced it would fall down for sure. Turns out my house building skills aren't too bad, not only did it not collapse it looked pretty too.

Because this is a pretty large post I decided to divide it in two. This half for making the gingerbread and cutting and baking the pieces and the next post will have the decorating and the construction of the house.

The smell of the gingerbread while it was baking was so so amazing, pure Christmas!

Gingerbread House Walls Template

Gingerbread House Front and Back Template

Gingerbread House Roof Template

For the Gingerbread-

100 grams butter (chopped)

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup golden syrup

2 eggs (lightly beaten)

4 cups sifted plain flour (4 - 4 1/2 cups as needed)

1 cup sifted self raising flour

3 tablespoons ground ginger

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon bicarb (baking) soda

To make the gingerbread- add the butter, brown sugar and golden syrup into a small saucepan.

Stir over a low heat until all melted together and smooth. Once cool add sugar mixture and eggs into a large bowl.

Add the flours, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and baking soda to the wet ingredients.
Mix all together until well combined. If mixture is too wet add up to another 1/2 cup of plain flour as needed.
Give the dough a light knead and divide it into quarters. Flatten each portion of dough into a disk and wrap in cling-wrap. Chill the disks of dough in the fridge for at least one hour before rolling out. (I made my dough the night before and used it the next morning)
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees c.

Roll the dough directly onto the baking paper you will bake the gingerbread pieces on. Working with one dough portion at a time roll out to 5mm thick.
Lay the template onto the rolled out dough and cut out using a large knife. Cut out two of each template, re-rolling the dough when needed.
Cut a door and a window out of the front gingerbread piece. I used a heart and rectangle cookie cutter.
Transfer the baking paper and gingerbread cutouts onto flat baking trays.
Bake the gingerbread pieces for about 12 minutes, until they are golden.
Repeat with all the pieces and allow to cool completely on cooling racks.
Come back tomorrow to see it all get put together.