Gingerbread House

Introduction

Most of us tried to make a gingerbread house when we were kids. Kids and adults like to make the gingerbread houses in very simple designs. Experts say that you do not really need a lot of expertise and skill to make one.

Step 1

The history of gingerbread can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. It is also said that gingerbread originated in Armenia and it was brought by a monk to France in 992 B.C. They had mainly used this for ceremonial purposes.

Step 2

Gingerbread made an appearance in the European culture by the 11the century. It was the time when ginger was brought to Europe from the Middle East. With ginger becoming increasingly more affordable along with the other spices, the common people started experimenting with this. During the 16th century, the bread crumbs in this dish gave way for flour, eggs and sweeteners to make the food lighter. The fairy tale Hansel and Gretel popularized the gingerbread house in Germany in the nineteenth century.

Step 3

The tradition was brought to America by the early German settlers. The idea of a gingerbread house did not catch on much in Britain but was seen in other parts of Europe. There is also a Guinness book record in the name of the world's largest gingerbread house.

Step 4

Graham crackers can be used to build the gingerbread house. Once the house gets the basic shape one can add the porch with graham crackers, you can ice them and candies can be used to hold up the porch. Peppermints, frosted mini wheats, colorful gum drops, peanuts, wafers can all be used to make the house.

Step 5

For effect, a fence can be used around the house and you can also tie a colorful ribbon to make it more appealing. For the product to get a look of snow, powdered sugar can be sprinkled above the hard snow ground.

Tips and comments

Creating a successful gingerbread house can be very satisfying and can bring smile on your face. Here are some simple tips for you to create a better product. If you are not very good at making the gingerbread house or if you are trying it for the first time it is best to keep the design simple. You can make a simple house consisting of a front, back, roof and frame house and you have to be worried only about four frames or you can even use up to six frames. The next step is to select a recipe and it would be best if you could select a simple one. The next thing that you should concentrate is to over bake gingerbread. When you bake cookies it is best for it to be soft but in case of gingerbread it needs to be over baked. While trying to ice you should use royal icing instead of premade frosting. The gingerbread house should be left to dry for at least two hours before you try to decorate it.

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