Gingerbread House

Ingredients for Gingerbread:
6 Cups All Purpose Flour
1-3/4 Cups Sugar
2/3 Cups Shortening
1 Tbsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. Ground Ginger
2 Tsp. Double-Acting Baking Powder
1-1/4 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Each 8 Oz. Container Sour Cream
2 Eggs

Ingredients for Egg White Icing:
3 Egg Whites
1/2 Tsp. Cream of Tartar
1 Each 16 Oz. Box Confectioners Powdered Sugar


Method of Preparation for Gingerbread:

To Prepare Dough:
Into large bowl, measure 3-1/2 cups flour and remaining ingredients. With mixer at low speed, beat until well mixed, constantly scraping bowl with rubber spatula. With hands, knead in remaining 2-1/2 cups of flour to make a soft dough. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate 2 hours or until dough is not sticky and is of easy kneading consistency.

To Roll Dough:
Keep refrigerated until ready to use. Working with half of a batch at a time on a lightly floured work surface, with lightly floured hands, knead dough until smooth. Roll dough on a greased and floured 17" x 14" cookie sheet, with lightly floured rolling pin, to 3/16" or 1/8" thickness (for easy rolling, place cookie sheet on a damp cloth to prevent it from slipping).

To Cut and Bake Dough:
Preheat oven to 350°. Make your pattern pieces of heavy cardboard. Lay them on the dough and using a sharp knife, use as many pieces as you can from the rolled dough on your cookie sheet (leaving at least 1/2" between the pieces). Remove scraps and reserve for re-rolling. Bake until golden brown and very firm. Remove cookie sheet from oven and cool on wire rack 5 minutes. Carefully remove the baked pieces from cookie sheet and place on wire rack to cool completely.

Special Notes:
If you need to do some trimming, do it while the cookie dough is warm out of the oven. You may need to make several batches of dough to complete your project, but be sure to make each batch separately. Do not double the ingredients to make a double batch.

Method of Preparation for Egg White Icing:
In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Beat 7 minutes with an electric mixer until smooth and thick. A good test is when a knife blade drawn through the icing leaves a clean cut. This icing needs to be as stiff as possible or it will not support the house. Store in a tightly sealed container if you are not using it right away.

(Makes 2 cups, you'll probable have to make several batches).

Coloring Icing:
Color small batched of this icing as needed with decorating pastes, which are much more intense and not watery like liquid food colors.

Using the Pastry Bags and Tips:
Use disposable plastic pastry bags, and several sizes and shapes of tips. This is a simple matter of practice. Practice on wax paper before you try and decorate on the house. Keep toothpicks handy for cleaning out tips and for helping correct errors.

Painting:
Another technique to try is "painting". Put a little icing into a small container or bowl. Wet the paint brush with water and dip it into the icing. Paint the gingerbread pieces. The result will be that the icing dries as a smooth coating with no visible brush lines.

To assure proper fit, check gingerbread pieces before assembling; if necessary shave edges. When assembling gingerbread pieces with icing, work with pastry bag with medium tip. Check vertical angles of major pieces with a right triangle or carpenter's square.

To attach right angle pieces: Pipe a line along the edge of one piece; press it against the adjoining piece and hold it in place for several minutes until the icing sets. Let dry thoroughly, propping attached pieces with a sturdy small object. When dry, smooth seams with a damp cloth; fill in any spaces with more icing. For extra stability, pipe icing along the inside seams as well. Allow to stand for an hour until the icing has completely dried before decorating.

DECORATING TIPS

Sometimes it is better to decorate elaborate pieces flat, and then assemble the pieces. Use your imagination! Pretzels become windows. Gum drops trim the roof like holiday lights. Use marshmallows, chocolate chips or flat mint candies for shingles. Candy canes and lollypops decorate the garden. Butterscotch doorknobs and licorice shutters complete the house! Any colorful, small candies will do the trick. Use the icing to attach the candies to the house.

Display your gingerbread house on a large sheet of white cotton to help create a winter wonderland!