There are many steps to successful gingerbread house construction. The biggest tip to finishing a house you can be proud of, all in good cheer, is to allot yourself enough time for each of those steps. The most time-consuming part of the project is waiting for the icing to dry. Here is a timetable to guide you through the project. You could combine any or all of these steps into one day, but experience has shown this to be the “less stress” method.
Day One — |
Draw out templates, check for fit |
Day Two — |
Mix dough, allow to chill overnight |
Day Three — |
Roll out, cut, and bake dough; cool Install glass windows Mix up and apply decorative icing to pieces |
Day Four — |
Piece together walls, roof and other features Apply finishing touches |
Step 1 — A firm foundation
For a steady anchor, to define the limits of your display, and for ease of moving and storing, you will need a sturdy base. Cut plywood or heavy cardboard to the size and shape desired. Cover with wax paper or aluminum foil taped together on the bottom. Frost or ice the entire base, or only where the walls of the house will contact it.
Step 2 — Ice first
Except for the roof of the gingerbread house, most decorative icing should be applied before putting the house together. It is easier to ice straight lines (to make clapboards or bricks) and to pipe fancier icing on gingerbread that is lying flat, than on an assembled house where the walls are vertical. So ice first, and allow plenty of time for the icing to dry before piecing your house together.
Tint icing to any color you desire, and use a metal spatula or butter knife to spread the icing as evenly as possible over the surface of each piece. Pipe on contrasting icing for trim and other effects. Cake decorating tips, even in the most inexperienced hands, turn plain into fancy. Edge doorways and windows with a fancy tip to create the look of exotic molding. Add details from Victorian fretwork to a scene inside the window — all painted in icing.
Glass in windows (see page 16 for making glass). Along the inside edge of the window pipe or spoon on a generous amount of icing and carefully press the glass in place. Allow to dry until icing is hard.
Step 3 — Put up walls
Start with the biggest walls of the house. Pipe a generous line of icing along the meeting edges of two walls and press together. Ice the bottom edges of the walls before setting them in place to help secure them to the foundation. Position side walls between front and back pieces to make the front of the house more attractive. Place canned goods on either side of the walls to hold them in place while the frosting dries.
Run icing along the meeting edges of the next two pieces, press them together, and settle into position, making sure all iced edges fit squarely together. Again, use cans for support.
As you press the iced edges together, icing will ooze from the seams. Before the icing dries, run a metal spatula or butter knife along the seams to tidy up. Later, you can pipe an even line or a decorative edging along the seams to hide any unevenness where the walls meet.
Step 4 — Build chimneys, dormers, bay windows, and towers
As the major walls of your gingerbread house dry, the smaller structures can be pieced together. When the icing holding them together is dry enough that they can safely be handled, join these structures to the house. Apply icing to all edges that will touch and gently ease into place, holding for a moment or two. Support with cans as needed. Chimneys and dormers will be added once the roof is in place.
Step 5 — Ice again
After the walls are thoroughly dry, from an hour or two to overnight, pipe a line of icing along the seams from the inside. This extra bit of glue helps to make the house more solid. Let dry again.
Ice along the top edges of the walls and edges where the roof pieces will meet. Set one side of the roof in place, then the second. Carefully adjust the two pieces until they meet at the top. Press firmly so that the icing smushes together. Add dormers and chimneys.
Be sure to allow the icing plenty of time to dry before adding snow, shingles, reindeer, etc. To secure shingles or roof ornaments, first frost the roof with snow, then gently press the objects into place. If laying shingles (slivered almonds, cereal, fondant, etc.), apply a strip of frosting a little wider than a row of shingles to the bottom of the roofline. Press the shingles into place. Then frost the next row up, press the next row of shingles into place so that they overlap the first row a little bit, and continue on until the top of the roof. If shingles don’t match up perfectly at the peak of the roof, cut smaller shingles or camouflage the peak under a blanket of snow.
Step 7 — Finishing touches
From whimsy to realism, the finishing touches are what make your gingerbread house spring to life. Detailed icing, landscaping, figurines, snow and roof decorations are the last features to add to your edible art.
You will find many ideas under the list of supplies at the beginning of the bulletin. But let your own imagination be your guide. Enjoy, and many happy mistakes!
Victorian House blueprints on page 24