gingerbread recipe for big gingerbread house?

[satinandsilk]

Inspired by the gorgeous ones I've seen in the shops, I want to try my hand at making a big gingerbread house for a christening party..probably more for decorative purposes than because it will necessarily taste nice (presumably the gingerbread has to be pretty hard to stay in a house shape..) Just wondering if anyone has any tips or experience, or a recipe that makes particularly well behaved gingerbread? I've got visions of it all collapsing/cracking/breaking if I don't cook the gingerbread for exactly the right amount of time, which could be tricky to judge if it's in huge slabs....

I made the Rachel Allen version last year for DDs 2nd birthday...OMG, it took hours and hours and hours to make!!! It did look very pretty though! I put battery powered twinkly lights inside of mine, which looked gorgeous! I will see if I can find a pic...

I'm shamefully marking place, as I'd love to have a go at a gingerbread house, too!

I would say make the gingerbread in advance and keep in a sealed container and them decorate/ assemble on another day otherwise or gets all a bit much! The gingerbread does taste disgusting BTW! I used molten sugar or something to stick mine together, it WASN'T strong enough..just about lasted the party and then the roof started to subside!

I think I used the pattern for the house off the BBC good food website, there is a printing error in the Rachel Allen book, my friend made it and it didn't fit together properly!

BBC good food - Ive made this one every year for the last 5 years. The gingerbread is lovley, and the recipe easy.

Construction of the house is a bugger, and I would advise using glucose in the icing sugar cement for the walls. Ideally make the walls first and seal in a tupperwear overnight before attempting the ceiling. You may also need some supports, like candy canes, on the corners or the weight of the roof may collapse your buildings.

After a day or two the gingerbread starts to go a big soggy, but still yummy.

The alternative is to look out for kits in the supermarket - or ikea.

Gingerbread houses are good fun, and not too hard.

Use instant royal icing (box of icing sugar & dried egg white - find it next to the icing sugar in big supermarkets) to glue it together and for snowy roof, eaves and around the base, and to stick on all the hansel and gretel style sweets.

I will go find the recipe for the gingerbread.

350g plain flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
Pinch of salt
2 tsp dry ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
130 g butter
130 g caster/ soft brown sugar
60ml golden syrup
2 eggs

Rub flour, spices, salt, soda and butter together

Mix in syrup, sugar and egg (you may not need all the egg) to make dough

Chill for 1/2 before rolling

Make a cardboard template, roll and cut. Cut out windows, doors.

Bake for 5- 15 minutes (small pieces cook quicker than big sections) at 180c.

Keep flat to cool

If you don't have an icing piper put instant royal icing in a sandwich bag a snip a little bit off the corner to pipe.

• this recipe makes gingerbread that is not toothbreakingly hard but strong enough for architecture. But it isn't really storybook gingerbread colour. To make it darker swap out half the syrup for treacle (but kids won't like it so much) or add 25g cocoa to the flour and make chocolate gingerbread.

There's a gingerbread house on the cover of the chrimbo edition of BBC Food!

Thanks Himalaya! That looks perfect!

Thanks, Himalaya - hope this works better than the stuff I've just spent all day making and watching crack into bits in the oven ...