Roopa
I know, I know. Why English gingerbread in a German baking class? They’re actually quite different, as German “gingerbread” (lebkuchen) doesn’t use any ginger; rather, it uses rye flour and honey to get that particular flavour. German lebkuchen tends to be quite soft and not ideal for making gingerbread structures, which is why we elected to use this crispier English recipe.
GINGERBREAD DOUGH
INGREDIENTS
- 200 g butter
- 200 g brown sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 300 g molasses
- 640 g pastry flour
- 30 g ginger
- 20 g cinnamon
- 8 g clove powder
- 4 g baking powder
DIRECTIONS
- Work together the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon. This is not creaming or aerating, but simply combining the ingredients together until there are no lumps of butter
- Mix in the molasses and egg yolks
- Add the flour and spices in, and combine until a uniform dough
- Refrigerate for 4 to 5 days to let the spices sink in
- Roll out, cut into shapes, and bake at 340 F
- Build a structure!
ROYAL ICING
INGREDIENTS
- 1 egg white
- 200 g icing sugar
DIRECTIONS
- Combine egg white and icing sugar to a royal icing that can be spread or piped
- Cover with damp cloth to extend working time of the icing
Notes:
- Use royal icing to assemble structure and add design flourishes
- Make sure when assembling to give the icing time to set to avoid a crumbling house disaster
Chateau Gateau 