Construction Grade Gingerbread Recipes

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:

• 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 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 .

BUILDING GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Melt shortening in a saucepan large enough for mixing the dough. Mix in sugar and molasses. Combine the flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and ginger; gradually stir into the pan, using your hands to work in the last bit. Dough should be stiff.
• On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness, and cut out as desired. Make sure the gingerbread is of uniform thickness, or the edges may burn before the center is done. Place pieces onto cookie sheets.
• Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Let cool for several minutes on the cookie sheet, then remove to racks to finish cooling.
• When the gingerbread has cooled completely, make the frosting cement. In a medium bowl, mix together confectioners' sugar and cream of tartar. Add egg whites and vanilla. Beat on high speed until frosting holds its shape. If necessary, add more confectioners' sugar to thicken the icing. Cover frosting with a damp cloth to prevent drying.

STRUCTURAL GINGERBREAD HOUSE DOUGH

Steps:

• In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat corn syrup, brown sugar and margarine until margarine has melted and sugar has dissolved completely. Stir until smooth.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Add syrup-sugar-margarine mixture. Mix well.
• Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough 1/4-inch thick onto a sheet of parchment cut to fit your baking pan.
• Lightly flour the cardboard patterns and place them on the rolled-out dough, leaving a 1-inch space between pieces. Try to fit as many as you can without crowding. For clean edges, cut with a pizza wheel. Remove and reserve excess dough. Reroll dough scraps for the remainder of the pieces.
• Grab the opposite edges of the parchment paper and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until pieces are firm and lightly browned around the edges. Cool completely before removing from pans.
• This recipe can easily be increased, if you want to make it a project for several kids by doubling or even tripling the ingredients. Instead of measuring out the flour, for a double recipe, use 1 (5-pound) bag plus 1 cup flour. For a triple recipe, use two (5-pound) bags plus 2 cups flour.