Ingredients
- 100g golden syrup
- 350g unsalted butter
- 300g soft light brown sugar
- 800g plain flour
- 2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 2 egg whites
- 600g icing sugar
- 3 tsp lemon juice
Gingerbread
- 100g golden syrup
- 350g unsalted butter
- 300g soft light brown sugar
- 800g plain flour
- 2 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Icing
- 2 egg whites
- 600g icing sugar
- 3 tsp lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
Gently melt the syrup, butter and sugar together in a pan on medium-low heat.
Mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda together in a large bowl.
Add the wet mix to the dry and bring it together into a stiff dough. If it’s significantly crumbly and not coming together, add a small drop of water. If it’s particularly sticky, dust it with flour, wrap it with clingfilm and pop it in the fridge to firm up for 30 minutes.
Dust a flat surface with flour and roll your dough out to about 0.5cm thick.
For the last few years, I have used BBC Good Food’s printable template to make my pieces – http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/tv/christmasbakeoff/gingerbread_house.pdf
Using a sharp knife, cut out your gingerbread shapes. Any scraps can be pressed back together and rolled out to create new pieces.
Space your gingerbread pieces out on a baking tray as they will grow and spread during baking. To help them hold their shape the best, pop in the fridge for at least 15 minutes before baking. When ready, bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden with a slightly darker edge.
To make your icing, whisk your egg whites into stiff peaks. Add your icing sugar, a spoonful at a time whilst still whisking. Finish with the lemon juice and whisk until you have a dense meringue mix. This can then be popped into a piping bag.
Once your pieces have cooled, stick them together using your icing and have fun decorating! Add sprinkles, colour to your icing, sweets and jazz it up. The world is your oyster!