Construction Gingerbread Recipes

CONSTRUCTION GRADE GINGERBREAD DOUGH

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat corn syrup, brown sugar, and shortening.
• Stir mixture over medium heat until shortening is melted.
• Continue to cook until full boil. Remove from heat and let sit until cool enough to handle (approx. 15-30 min).
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.
• Make a well in the middle of dry ingredients, and add warm wet mixture.
• Mix dough with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula. Continue to mix until well incorporated.
• Kneed dough by hand until combined and dough is smooth (about 10 rotations).
• Kneed dough until a dough is smooth, and can shape into a ball.
• Divide dough in half and flatten, placing each half in a sandwich zip-lock bag to keep from drying out. Repeat recipe until enough batches of dough have been made as per template instructions.
• This recipe makes enough dough to roll-out approx. 484 square inches @ 1/4" thick
• Roll and cut pieces according to template. (The Best Gingerbread Templates are available at www.gingerbreadbydesign.com)
• Bake gingerbread pieces at 350 F (176 C), for 15-30 minutes (depending on size) or until pieces are firm and light brown around the edges.

CONSTRUCTION GRADE GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
• Pour sugar into mixer
• Heat honey in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, then pour onto sugar
• Mix until combined
• Add water and eggs
• Mix until combined, scraping the sides as you go
• Add ginger, cinnamon, and cloves
• Mix until combined, scraping the sides as you go
• Add flour one cup at a time
• Mix until smooth
• Switch your mixer to a dough hook and continue to mix
• Add more flour if needed, until the dough starts to separate itself from the sides of the bowl
• Remove dough from bowl and put into a gallon ziplock bag
• Refrigerate for an hour (optional but recommended)
• Flour the surface of a baking mat and start rolling the dough out
• Use a flour duster if it's sticky
• Roll until flat and cut out your gingerbread pieces
• Bake the pieces at 325 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, rolling the dough once after 10 minutes
• When the pieces are firm, remove them from the oven, lay them on a flat surface, then put the pan on top of them so they cool nice and flat
• Build and decorate!

CONSTRUCTION GRADE GINGERBREAD DOUGH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift together dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, ginger, and salt) in a large bowl, set aside. Whip vegetable shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add light corn syrup and molasses to sugar mixture, slowly, until thoroughly mixed.
• Add warm water. You can add dry ingredients to mixer and knead with a dough hook, or transfer wet ingredients to large bowl of dry ingredients and knead for 10 minutes. Put dough in a large plastic bag for 1 hour to rest. This dough will keep for a week at room temperature or a month in the refrigerator, although it is best when used same day.
• Roll dough evenly onto a piece of tin foil (big enough to fit a cookie sheet) to about 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Use copper cutters to make cottage shapes. Peel up the unused dough. Place foil on cookie sheet, being careful not to disturb cut pieces, and bake 15 to 20 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool on a flat surface. Once baked, the cottage will last for years if stored in a plastic bag. Construct the house using Royal Frosting.
• Combine meringue powder and water and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add confectioners' sugar and continue to beat for 7 minutes. Add food coloring to tint.
• Keep covered when not using since royal frosting will begin to harden when exposed to air. Decorate the gingerbread pieces while laying flat. Gravity will work to your advantage, and you'll have more control. Assemble the house with heavy frosting by adding more powdered sugar. Use various size tips to create the degree of detail you are looking for.

CONSTRUCTION GINGERBREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• For the Dough: Trim a sheet of parchment paper to fit the interior of a half sheet pan. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 350°F (175°C). Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low until smooth, then sprinkle in flour and continue mixing to form a stiff dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Proceed immediately, or wrap in plastic and set aside at room temperature until needed, up to 24 hours. (Larger batches should be divided into 14-ounce portions.)
• Sprinkle prepared parchment with flour, place dough on top, and flatten into a rectangle. Sprinkle with more flour and roll to fit just within edges of parchment, leaving dough about 3/16 inch thick. Using both hands, transfer parchment to a half sheet pan. Cut according to your gingerbread house template, using an X-Acto or paring knife. Leave a narrow border of dough around cutouts to minimize spreading, but trim away larger areas of excess dough to gather and re-roll, or turn into paste (see directions below).
• Bake gingerbread until dry to the touch and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Immediately cut along pre-scored lines with a sharp knife or pizza wheel. Cool completely in pan, then transfer cutouts to a safe place. Scraps can be nibbled, or ground in a food processor to use in recipes that call for cookie crumbs.
• For the Paste: Return scraps to mixing bowl and resume mixing on low speed. Begin adding water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until scraps form a stiff but pipeable paste. Thoroughly scrape bowl and beater with a flexible spatula to eliminate lumps, then continue mixing until perfectly smooth. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe designs, such as fences and railing, onto a parchment-lined half sheet pan and bake until pale gold, about 12 minutes. Cool completely before handling. If you like, assemble with Sturdy Royal Icing .