We've mentioned a few times that the fine line between durability and edibility is a constant issue we are facing. In the past, this has primarily been an issue for pieces we needed to hold up for an upcoming competition, but now as we're moving forward into other ventures, we find ourselves 're-evaluating the ingredients we use, the recipes we use, the cost of what we're using and the cost-versus-effectiveness of each ingredient.
Flour, for example, regular all purpose flour is cheapest. Financially, it's the best purchase. But bread flour has more protein. Protein (gluten) makes for a more stable, stronger gingerbread. So we find ourselves looking at two different possible outcomes based on which flour we invest in.
Then we come to molasses. Which type, which brand, aren't they all the same? No, they are not. Certain brands are sweeter, certain brands have a more intense molasses flavor, but are terribly bitter without extra sugar added. Extra sugar compromises the structural integrity of the gingerbread. Some brands aren't sold in bulk! And do we even want to use molasses at all when something like honey is more resistant to humidity, and honey is more traditional to begin with?
Love and Olive Oil has a GREAT post explaining more the details of Molasses. We suggest you head over there and check that out!
In the weeks and months to come we're going to have to try a lot of different options, and a lot of different combinations, revisit old recipes, revamp new ones, build, construct, and wait and wait and wait.
We want to give our customers the best possible product we can. We want them to be charming and delicious. We want to be a part of your children's holiday memories and traditions. Stay tuned, good things are on the way!
Everywhere we go with our pieces, someone asks, "Do you sell those?" or "I wish someone would teach me how to build a gingerbread house."
Our friends, naturally, asked too.
Below are some photos of early instruction when we collaborated to build 1 house in an all-day start-to-finish venture that is messy and fun.
I first worked with my friend's daughter. We made a suburban split level.
She was so nervous it would fall! But our creation was a success under Gingerbuilder guidance. I love the roof and fence!
Next, I created with a coworker. She wanted SNOW. LOTS OF SNOW. I
don't know why we even bothered putting cereal on the roof. :-)
This one was so scary to deliver to her house. It weighed a ton and we thought it would break! But it held together; so much so that her family couldn't break it after the holidays with just their fists!
Lots of creative candy-work in this house. Check out the cute mailbox!
Gingerbread building is also a time-honored family tradition. So I introduced it to my family too. My niece, sister-in-law, and mother built this festive chalet.
Check out the mess on the table. Gingerbread building can get very messy.
I love the red and green theme going on here.
and that snowman just cracks me up. Too cute!
Building a house can take several days or weeks if you go at it alone. We find it's so much more fun (and time efficient) to work with friends and family. It makes the time fly and makes your holidays memorable.
Gingerbuilders is currently working on a 2-3 hour Party Plan that offers each guest the chance to decorate a personal house and learn about the process without the mess and fuss of going at it all on your own. Please contact us if you have ideas!
For better specifics on how to build a gingerbread house, please check out our other blog posts.
Also, don't forget to follow us via email or other method. Thanks for reading!
~Steph
Now that competition season is over, I’m here to offer you
an insight into the makings of our “Christmas Came to WhoVille” house.My lovely partners had a hilarious night of “brainstorming”
on the theme of our first competition: WhoVille.I, unfortunately, left my phone at my sister’s
the night before and missed every message regarding the “brainstorming” evening
(mostly just drinking wine and eating cheeses).SOOOO, the creative credit really must go to those two. They wanted an alternative to the boring, overdone though adorable, traditional scene
from WhoVille, and came up with a play on words that I absolutely love. We
split the houses for baking this year. Steph baked the “Who Dey” house using
the humidity proof gingerbread recipe.
Erin baked “The Who Chalet” using her traditional gingerbread
recipe.
I used the humidity proof recipe for the “Doctor Who’s
T.A.R.D.I.S.” and about lost my mind doing so. The dough was so dry that it would NOT come
together. Stephanie had the same problem. We each added more honey and a small
amount of water to make it work. I waited to do the curved pieces at Steph’s because
they tend to break in transport when they aren’t assembled (Okay, I tend to break
them! We’ve already covered that.)
The really cool thing is that we were able to use the baked
pieces to curve the gingerbread exactly how it needed to be.
We even trimmed the gingerbread while it was still hot to
the exact size we needed.
We bought all our baked pieces to Stephanie’s and proceeded
to destroy her kitchen. I made a batch
of marshmallow fondant, a process that will get its own blog post later. We
covered each house in fondant this year, a first for the Gingerbuilders. Steph
and Erin took some cake decorating classes this fall and learned some useful
tips; like mixing fondant with gumpaste to make it dry harder and wearing gloves
while coloring fondant to prevent your hands from getting stained.
* Something we learned this year, if you cover the pieces in
fondant, you need to allow for the extra thickness of the pieces. I would say
it added about a ¼ inch to the thickness. This affected the T.A.R.D.I.S.construction the most.
We wanted to make a snowy mountain behind the town.
We went
through 4 batches of Rice Krispy treats!
We wanted to use Rice Krispy treats for the Christmas tree
in the town center, but we ran out.
Necessity being the mother
of all invention, we mixed shredded wheat with the marshmallow and voila:
Christmas Tree!
You may remember the marshmallow in the microwave video we
posted a few weeks back. That was from this gingerbuilding day.We used a few new candies this year, the best
and most delicious being Nerd Rope!
We used Winterfresh gum on the windows of
the T.A.R.D.I.S., which had a very intense fresh smell.
We made
tiny Christmas trees by covering Bugles, of all things, with a leaf tip. It
turns out they are not just for making scary fingers and snacking, anymore.
We
used the leaf tip on the big tree, as well. Then, we covered it with tiny candy canes and a melted yellow
Starbust star. We used mint lifesavers to create wreathes for our town.
We love
adding little details;
like a pile of undecorated wreathes and candy canes next to
the tree as if the Who’s are still decorating,
street signs to other towns,
and a bow tie and fez to our Doctor "Who."
We are really proud of this year’s creation, I hope you
enjoy it! If you have any questions about materials or methods we used, feel
free to comment. Just because Christmas is almost here, doesn't mean we are done until next year. Make sure you subscribe to our blog to hear more of our antics and helpful tips.
Gingerbuilders had lots of peppermint candies, so I decided to put them to good use and decorate a house using only peppermint (and a smidgen of candy wafers.)
This gave us brilliant ideas for themed houses. More on that to come.
I was fortunate enough to get a snow day from work on a Friday, so I occupied my day mixing dough, letting it rest, then later rolling and building.
Meanwhile, I set to work giving my house some siding. I had all of the tools I needed...
In talking with the other Gingerbuilders, we decided to use candy windows from here out. The surface of melted candy is smoother than cut gingerbread. Plus, then the windows really glow! I put a Christmas tree inside the windows of this house, but it's not easy to see.
The swirly peppermint Christmas Tree was a great find! And the peppermint path made a LOT of noise in my blender, but I think it's quite welcoming.
Another seasonal candy win was the snowman who greets you at the door.
I like pumpkin as much as the next guy. I LOVE my mother's pumpkin pie. I like pumpkin bread with walnuts. I made a pretty tasty pumpkin pasta sauce this year with sage and browned butter. (Versions are all over Pinterest.) But I started to get overwhelmed when social media truly showed me my pumpkin options. We can make ANYTHING pumpkin.
Now, when I search pinterest or instagram for #gingerbread, I see the same inundation of holiday flavors. But pumpkin was *soo* last month. It's time for the new holiday!
Gingerbread has a long history. I'm glad to see it re-invented, and apparently trending. But sometimes, I like my cheesecake to taste like cheesecake, or my coffee to taste like coffee...sometimes.
Other times, I do appreciate the holiday treats. I haven't ordered a gingerbread latte...yet...but it will happen. I've accepted this.
I've always had different hobbies. From dollhouses to archeology, I've
just always had interests that were a little different from most people I
know. I was incredibly lucky that my parents always encouraged these
unique hobbies though. In the 7th grade, they bought me a beautiful doll
house kit (the doll house still proudly sits in my dining room to this
day). They didn't talk me out of studying archaeology in college. And
when I got the crazy idea one Christmas that I wanted to build a
gingerbread house, rather than saying "maybe some other time" the bought
me a book, The Encyclopedia of Gingerbread, and my dad even helped me
create my very first template.
So a few years ago when my friend Stephanie mentioned that she wanted to
learn how to make a gingerbread house I very enthusiastically agreed to
help her learn! I remember being really impressed with the design she
picked for her first house. There were lots of little accents and
special touches she had wanted to add. It was so much fun having one of
my best friends creating this delicious, little masterpiece with me!
Even better was the next day when our friend Megan wanted to join in on
the fun so we just went ahead and made another house.
We're all incredibly humble, so after congratulating ourselves on our
talent and creativity, we decided we couldn't wait another year to
collaborate to build another house. So we made The February House which
celebrated many of the forgotten, non-Christmasy winter holidays. There
were a few more creations before we decided, after only a year of
gingerbreading together, to submit a house to an ACTUAL gingerbread
competition. We came in 2nd place at our very first competition with our
beautiful "Luster of Midday on Objects Below". I was very pregnant, and
very tired for the creation of "Luster", but Megan and Stephanie had
learned so much, they really took the reigns for that project. I wasn't
the teacher any longer... we were teammates.
The truly incredible thing about our trio...each of us has our own
strengths and weaknesses. We each have a unique perspective. Megan has
such an eye for detail and a steady hand that can bring that detail to
life. Stephanie had this innate ability to visualize an entire project
from start to finish. I'd like to think that I'm "the idea person" but I
can't claim that exclusively... so let's just say I'm the comic relief
;-)
The three of us together have managed to work together remarkably well
and still have so much fun together. I hope you all enjoy going on this
journey with us.
