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Book Description

Irma Rombauer collected recipes from friends for the first Joy of Cooking, and published it herself. For this sixth edition, the All New, All Purpose Joy of Cooking, Ethan Becker, grandson of Irma and son of Marion Rombauer Becker, worked with Maria Guarnaschelli, senior editor and vice president at Scribner's. Together, they called on top food professionals to produce a Joy that reflects the way we eat today.

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The All New, All Purpose Joy of Cooking

Authors: Marion Rombauer Becker, Irma S. Rombauer, Ethan Becker

Date: November 1997

ISBN: 0684818701

Publisher: Scribner

Hardcover

ORDER/INFO

Gingerbread House
Recipe from: The All New, All Purpose Joy of Cooking
by Marion Rombauer Becker, Irma S. Rombauer, Ethan Becker
Cookbook Heaven at Recipelink.com

Although gingerbread houses are associated with Christmas, you can create a gingerbread Easter bunny hutch or Halloween witch’s cottage just by changing the decorations in this recipe.

One 8-inch-wide x 9-inch-tall house

GINGERBREAD DOUGH

Whisk together thoroughly:

6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat on medium speed until very fluffy and well blended:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar

Beat in until well combined:

2 large eggs
1 cup dark molasses
1 tablespoon water

Beat half of the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until well blended and smooth. Stir in the remaining flour, then knead the mixture until well blended. If the dough is soft, stir in more flour until it is firmer and more manageable but not at all dry.
Place the dough in a sealable plastic bag or airtight plastic container. Set aside in a cool place, but not the refrigerator, for at least 2 hours or up to 6 hours. Or refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days; bring to room temperature before using.

CUTTING OUT PATTERN PIECES

Meanwhile, cut out pattern pieces using either graph paper or smooth, manila-folder-weight paper. Graph paper lines provide easy, automatic guides for measuring and cutting out pattern pieces, but slightly heavier paper yields sturdier patterns. Cut out and label the pattern pieces as follows.

One 5 1/2-inch-wide x 7 1/2-inch-high piece for the front and back of the house

One 7-inch-wide x 6 1/2-inch-high piece for the roof

One 5-inch-wide x 3-inch-high piece for the sides of the house

To form the peaked front and back: With a pencil, mark the center point on one of the short ends of the 5 1/2 x 7 1/2-inch rectangle to establish the top of the template. Starting at the lefthand bottom corner, measure 3 inches up the side and mark this point. Repeat on the righthand side. Using a ruler, connect the lefthand mark with the center top mark. Repeat on the righthand side, creating an inverted V. Cut along these lines to create the front and back peaked template.

For the chimney, cut out the pieces as follows:

One 1-inch-wide x 3-inch-high piece for the chimney front

One 1-inch-wide x 1 1/2-inch-high piece for the chimney back

One 1-inch-wide piece, 2 3/4 inches high on one side and 1 1/2 inches high on the other.

ROLLING OUT THE DOUGH

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready several cookie sheets.

Divide the dough in half. Working with 1 portion at a time (leave the other covered to prevent drying), roll out the dough to a scant 1/4 inch thick directly on a large sheet of wax or parchment paper; keep the layer as uniform as possible. This is easier if you have a set of 1/4-inch dowels to lay on all 4 sides of the dough and to use as guides, but these are not essential. If necessary, lightly dust the rolling pin with flour to prevent sticking.

CUTTING OUT THE HOUSE PIECES

Before placing pattern pieces on the dough, lightly rub the surface of the dough with a small amount of flour. Gently lay as many pattern pieces as will fit on the dough. Using a sharp knife, wiping the blade clean as you work, cut out the following pieces: house front, back, and 2 sides. Cut away the front door opening, reserving the door piece. If desired, also cut away the centered upstairs window; then split the cutout piece in half lengthwise to use as shutters. Also cut out the chimney front, back, and side pieces. For sides, cut around the angled pattern piece, then turn the pattern over and cut out again. Immediately lift the patterns from the surface of the dough to prevent sticking. Peel away the excess dough from around the cutout pieces and reserve the scraps in a sealable plastic bag to prevent drying. As necessary, cut apart the paper with scissors so individual house pieces (along with the paper) can be transferred to the cookie sheets; group large house pieces together on larger cookie sheets, and chimney, door, and shutter pieces, if using, together on a smaller sheet, spacing the pieces about 1 inch apart.

If wax or parchment paper is unavailable, roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface, lifting the dough frequently and lightly dusting the rolling pin with flour as needed to prevent sticking. Using a wide thin-bladed spatula, gently transfer the pieces from the work surface to lightly greased cookie sheets, trying not to stretch them out of shape. If pieces do stretch, trim them back to the original pattern size using a paring knife; remove the scraps from the cookie sheets. Reserve all the scraps in a sealable plastic bag.

Continue rolling out the dough and cutting out until all the pieces are prepared. If desired, add a curved roof tile design to the roof pieces by pressing the curve of a flatware spoon into the dough surface to produce indentations at regular intervals. If desired, add clapboard texture to the house sides, front and back, by drawing the back of a fork horizontally across the dough surface so the tines produce lines.

BAKING THE HOUSE PIECES

Bake just until the pieces are tinged with brown and beginning to darken at the edges, 11 to 15 minutes for larger house pieces, 6 to 8 minutes for chimney, door, and shutter pieces; rotate the sheets halfway through baking for even browning. Remove the sheets to racks and let stand until the pieces are cool and firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pieces, along with the paper, to racks to cool.

MAKING THE ICING

Royal Icing is the glue for constructing your gingerbread house. Double the icing recipe to yield enough for both gluing and decorating the finished house with “snow” or other finishing piping.

CONSTRUCTING THE HOUSE

If you have a pastry bag and large writing tip, apply the icing glue with it. Otherwise, apply it as neatly as possible using a spoon or the tip of a knife. Working on a large wax- or parchment-paper-lined tray, start by putting the house front, sides, and back together. Pipe a line of icing on each end of 1 side piece. Place it between the front and back pieces, gently pressing at the joints to lightly hold it in place until the second side is added. Add icing to the second side piece and fit it in place between the front and back, adjusting as necessary to make the house square. Working on 1 side of the house at a time, pipe icing along the angled front and back edges. Grasp 1 roof piece by the edges and lay it against the piped edges, gently pressing to lightly hold it in place until the second roof piece is added. To finish the roof, pipe icing along the angled front and back edges as well as the top edge of the roof piece already in place. Press the second piece in place, adjusting so it fits snugly against the first roof piece to form a peak. Force additional icing into any seams that need reinforcing, wiping off the excess with your fingertip.

For the chimney, glue the 4 pieces together as for the house base. Before icing the base, set the chimney in place on the rooftop. If it does not sit up straight, carefully trim the chimney bottom with a sharp knife until the bottom angle aligns evenly with the rooftop. Then pipe icing on the base of the chimney and secure it in place on the rooftop. Let the house stand, uncovered, for at least 1 hour and preferably for 8 hours before decorating.

DECORATING THE HOUSE

Decorate according to the season. For Christmas, you may want to add Royal Icing, snow and icicles along the edges of the roof, and accent the house with candy canes, peppermint pinwheels, and other appropriate sweets.

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