Gingerbread

Usually before every Christmas my family and I make a gingerbread house. This year I don't have my family helping me, but I still thought I could make it just for my host family, because here it's a special thing to have. So I made the dough today, and after being in the fridge till tomorrow I'll try to make the actual house from it.  This is my recipe for the traditional gingerbread:

150 g of butter

75 ml of syrup

100 ml of sugar

1 tsp of ginger

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of cloves

1 egg

1 tsp of baking soda

about 400 ml of plain flour

- Put the first six ingredients into a saucepan and heat with medium heat till you see the first bubbles

- Take off from the stove and cool down

- When cooled down add the eggs while gently mixing

- Mix the baking soda into the flour (this is something I never do but I guess it's more professional to do it that way), and pour all the flour to the dough, or till it's still soft but not dripping

- Take a piece of plastic wrap and pour the dough onto the middle of it.  Fold all the sides close to the middle so you get a rectangle shaped block 

- Put your block into a fridge and let it stay there overnight

If you want to do normal gingerbread figures, the next day (or you can do it day after that as well, it doesn't matter at all):
- Sprinkle some flour to the table so the dough does not stick to it
- Use a rolling pin to make your block flater; 3 mm is maybe the best thickness
- Cut the shapes you want and move them onto a baking tray
- Bake in the 200°C oven about ten minutes


This time I made double the amount because I'm going to make a gingerbread house, but usually one block is enough.

I'll let you know how to make a gingerbread house soon,

Liisa