It all starts with a basic house. Then doors and windows are cut out, with the excess dough making doors and shutters. One window gets stained glass - it will glow when a small light is placed inside. The estate grows with the addition of a two-car garage, an east wing overlooking a pond and, finally, a dog house.
One can easily get carried away while making a gingerbread house, but if "Crafty" is not your middle name, do not fret.
"Gingerbread houses can be as simple or as complicated as you want," said Marsha Asbury, a veteran gingerbread house baker and owner of First Street Bakery in Casper.
Building a large gingerbread house can be difficult just because two people are needed to assemble it. With some basic geometry, add-ons can make it look elaborate, as well. But that, too, is not necessary.
"The beauty of gingerbread is that precision is not required - just stiffer icing," Asbury said.
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All you really need is time: about two days, to be exact. One day to bake the gingerbread and another to assemble and decorate it.
A simply designed gingerbread house won't look like much, but once it is decorated with raisins, pretzels, cookies and candies of every flavor and color, it could be a masterpiece. Asbury recently shared her favorite gingerbread house recipe - along with her kitchen and creativity - with Live Well. The recipe can be adjusted to taste, and the design is easy to cut and assemble.
For step-by-step instruction with photos, click here.
What you will need:
A cardboard pattern
Scotch tape
One or more batches of gingerbread dough
Two or more batches of royal icing
Cookie sheets
Parchment paper or foil
Dowels for leveling
Rolling pin, spatula, measuring tools and
Large bowl
Sharp knife or X-acto knife
Mixer with whip
Pastry bags, couplers and tips
Food coloring (optional)
Plywood base covered with foil
Canned food for propping up walls
Assortment of candy, pretzels, cereal, Cookies, etc. for decorating
Gingerbread Ingredients
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark molasses, corn syrup
or a combination of both
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups flour, 1 cup at a time
Royal Icing Ingredients
1 pound (3 cups) powdered sugar
5 tablespoons meringue powder
?cup water OR 1 large egg white
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons water
Gingerbread contest
What: Enter your gingerbread house or view other entrees from throughout the region at the Gingerbread Contest. First, second and third place prizes will be awarded in six categories: professionals, amateur adults, children 5 to 7 years, children 8 to 11 years, children 12 to 17 years and culinary students/schools. The contest runs in conjunction with the lighting of Cheyenne's downtown Christmas tree and plaza decorations.
Where: The lobby of the Cheyenne Depot Museum at 1 Depot Square in Cheyenne.
When: Deliver entries to the depot lobby between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Saturday, November 22. Santa Claus will be in the lobby from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m., when the lighting begins. Winners will be announced at 5:30 p.m. Entries will be on display through Monday, November 24.
Requirements: Houses must be built from edible materials. The overall size cannot exceed 24 inches by 24 inches.
Cost: Free.
Info: Call Cheyenne Depot Museum Events Coordinator Pam Crochet at 307-632-3905 or visit www.cheyennedepotmuseum.org
