Easter Bunny's House

Gingerbread day! It’s basically a holiday that we celebrate multiple times a year.  A lot of planning and forethought goes into the day. Like any holiday, you make grocery lists, shop, make to-do lists, prepare and anticipate. And like other holidays, you do all this in the midst of other life events, work, social engagements, family obligations, etc.  As the day approaches, and the real work starts, you look forward to spending time with your family (my gingerbread family).  What is unique about our team, or family if you’d rather, is the assignment of roles.  With most holidays, as the years pass, certain people get assigned certain roles (the cranberry sauce, the green bean casserole, the pumpkin pie). That’s not really how we work. Sure, Stephanie stores the bulk of our supplies and tools (she has the most room).  But, we try to take turns designing and baking and hosting.  (I get out of hosting mostly because my apartment is small, unorganized and not child friendly).  This time, I suggested we do the Easter Bunny’s house as our spring house.  Erin offered to host and bake the house. She wanted to calculate the PPH (Price Per House). I had found these adorable Linzer cookie cutters,

so I offered to make little gingerbread decorations for the “yard.” Stephanie, who moved recently, was on snacks (probably the most important job).

Fast forward to the night before Gingerbread day (and the end of Family Conference week at work  for me): I’m exhausted from the work week and REALLY don’t want to make an entire batch of gingerbread dough. I don’t have any shortening and I’m way too lazy to go the store a whole 2 miles away. I start thinking of ways around it, even texting Erin to see if she’ll have some extra dough (Ha! actual dough, not money). I’m sitting on my loveseat, making my list for Gingerbread day when the idea hits me. What if I make actual Linzer cookies!? But I can make them with gingerbread spices instead of boring regular butter cookies (actually, the original is delicious, too).  Energized by this amazing idea, I get to work creating spicy Linzer cookie dough. I sub out some sugar for molasses to give it extra gingerbread flavor. I’m careful to record my actual measurements, instead of cooking with reckless abandon like I normally do. The result is mouthwatering and melts in your mouth good.  It also spurned an addition to my old saying. Necessity is the mother of invention, but laziness is its cousin.

  

Begin gingerbread day at Erin’s: she “effortlessly” assembles the house, minus the roof, before I even get there. Steph had class in the morning, so she joined us a little later (with cheeses!).  My morning got a slow start due the lovely Ohio springtime pollen count.  The cookies are quickly approved by Erin and our official taste testers, George and Victoria.  I fell in love with these pearls and sixlets,  and I knew we had to use them on the house. Erin  

applied the icing to the roof while I dotted it with the pearls. We stood back for a second to admire our brilliance (one of these days, I’ll get the hang of modesty). We mixed up some spring green icing and added grass to our landscape. Erin designed a lovely path across the lawn.

What about the wine? Isn’t here usually wine at these things? Not to worry. Let me take this opportunity to introduce you to the Gingerbread Boy: Take as much or as little coffee as you want, add a good amount of milk (or creamer) and add at least a shot of Gingerbread Kaluah. Serve hot or over ice. Yum! 

I put on some gloves to dye gum paste for the carrots. I figured the Easter Bunny had to have carrots. George asked why I was wearing gloves. When I explained that I had to wear the gloves to work with the food coloring, he decided to put on gloves himself so he could “touch things.” Stephanie arrived 

and we took a cheese and cookie break. Getting back to work, we created a mail box for the Easter bunny and started decorating the Easter egg shaped cookies. Funnily enough, we had no plan for the eggs. Sure, they were cute and delicious, and George got to help, but where are they going to go? Then I had another “Aha!”moment. What if Easter eggs are actually grown in a garden in the Easter Bunny’s back yard? Boom! We love it. We had a little problem with a melting egg (patience is a virtue), but I think it’s safe to say that the Easter egg garden is adorable.
I hope you agree! Remember to subscribe to our blog for more delicious tales and updates.

Much Love and Happy Easter! ~Megan

Build A Better Gingerbread House. Do The Ingredients Matter?

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!

Gingerbuilders and Friends

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

To eat, or not to eat....The Great Gingerbread Debate.

It seems to be one of the more controversial topics amongst gingerbreaders... make it strong, or make it edible.

Personally, I'm of the mind that gingerbread houses should be both completely edible and completely delicious. They should smell like nutmeg and cinnamon and ginger. You should have to fight the temptation to break off a piece and surreptitiously pop it into your mouth. Edible on a technicality doesn't cut it for me.

But the competition circuit is a little different. I respect that it's different, and we'll play by the rules, but there is something so charming about a slightly lopsided, piled with icing and obnoxiously colored candy, spicy smelling gingerbread house.

Is it impressive that people can make such realistic creations using edible substances? Heck yeah it is! But is my 4 year old son going to want to eat a piece of salt dough held together with tylose? Probably not.

As a team, I'd say Ginger Builders strives to strike that perfect balance between beautiful and edible (see Stephanie's peppermint creation!) With the exception of a few elements in a few of our creations (wrought iron fencing made of dried pasta, for example) or creations have always been traditional gingerbread, perfectly edible, and perfectly charming.

So what do you think? Where do you stand on the Great Gingerbread Debate?

Peppermint Theme

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.

And here's the Peppermint Farmhouse!

General Tips

From trial and error, here are some basic gingerbread tips that I have to offer:

1.  always bake using flat pans.  Flat.  I have a set used only for gingerbread baking.  I hand-wash them so that they don't get warped.  Wonky pans can lead to curved or not-flat gingerbread pieces.

2.  Always put your pattern together to make sure it fits.  and don't just tape it together.  Make sure you know that the sides will fit inside the front and back pieces, etc.  AND ACCOUNT FOR FONDANT.  if you cover your pieces in fondant, give yourself some extra length on roofs etc. because that adds thickness.  Gingerbuilders discovered this the hard way.  Thank goodness for royal icing :-)
(This pattern is from our 2013 "Whoville" themed pieced.  It was "Suessy".)







3.  Flip your gingerbread over when it comes right out of the oven, and press it flat.  It can take it, don't worry.  This will help keep your edges from curling up on you.
THEN lay it out to cool and harden.







4.   You don't have to be fancy.  I know people who buy "special tools" or end caps for icing, etc.  Sure that stuff comes in handy, and can make your life soooo much easier in some cases!  In other cases, it's okay to wing it.  Use your judgement and don't be afraid to break the mold, if you will.

While making our first gingerbread houses, we didn't use couplers or
"official" pastry bags. 

We use whatever we have on hand to prop up items for drying etc.


In this pic we ran out of rice cereal, so we used shredded wheat instead.  Same difference.

 Take that. :-)

5.  Lastly, have a savory food around to help cut the sugar.  Yes, I know you're MAKING a gingerbread house not eating one, but the sugar in the air can still get to you.  Gingerbuilders enjoys chili, chinese food, cheeseballs, and wine.  Wine and friends will also help the process.  This hobby should be fun!

I'll add more tips as I think of them.  Meanwhile, ENJOY yourself and be creative.  It will turn out great!

My Journey With Gingerbread

My Journey With Gingerbread

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.

First is the Worst, Second is the Best

and second place is what our 2011 castle received at our local gingerbread competition.  The theme for the year was "Winter Wonderland".  We went with the wonder theme and created a castle.  Lots of silver, lots of shiny, and titled the piece "The Luster of Midday on Objects Below."

We were beat out by an "Alice in Winter Wonderland" clever creation.  It was sloppy, but had good sugar work.  (Erin can talk more about our competitor later.) :-)

Keep in mind how clever the judges thought the play on the theme was.  This will come in VERY handy when we reveal our 2013 entry...

This year was the first year we covered our gingerbread in anything.  We covered it in icing, then dusted it with pulverized blue sprinkles and sugar.

We also lined everything with icing stars.  Pretty pretty.  Stylized and Whimsical are our two favorite words.







This was a rainy and muggy year.  We had to wait a LONG time for the icing to dry.  We also melted (I think jolly ranchers) for the windows.  This was different.  By the time of the competition, they had melted off.  Note to self: stick to clear peppermint candy or butterscotch. 

This was also the first time we really used fondant.  Erin hates the taste, so we (Megan) made a yummy marshmallow fondant, which we used to cover round rice krispy treat towers.  (We hadn't quite mastered round baking gingerbread yet.)

Turrets are clearly ice cream cones sprayed with Chef Duff's edible silver spray.

As the icing queen (NOT ice queen) I added little candles.




We melted jolly ranchers again and some clear peppermint (sugar free, oddly enough) candy in aluminum foil to make our lake.  Over that, we built our sweet covered bridge.  This is the same bridge from our Greedo house, and we just loved it so much!  I would expect to see it appear again and again in our pieces.

The roof snowflakes are a German candy.  Their texture is something like Jesus wafers in church.  Always keep your eyes open for new and creative treats!


The tree is rice krispy treats covered in that pulverized sugar and silver spray.  I really like the look of it.

 

We also made a different tree, just so show how creative we could be. :-)

We decided to make the horses 2-D and curved warm gingerbread straight from the oven to form the carriage.

Megan's talent molded us an adorable snowman from Marzipan.  He, too, started to melt from humidity by the time of the competition, but we held it together.

Placing second in our first competition is definitely something we're proud of.  I can't wait to try a more detailed castle plan!
I love our Gingerbuilder Team!

A Month of Holidays Crammed into one House

It may not be cohesive in appearance, but it is thematic and educational!

Our February House of 2010 gave us the opportunity to work again as a team, refine our strengths, try out new techniques, and drink more wine.  (of course)

Melting chocolate around marzipan and using a toothpick to make grooves gave us this awesome realistic looking tree stump.

Megan's molding handiwork and more chocolate and marzipan (yum!) gave us an adorable groundhog to sit near the stump to represent Groundhog's Day!

We made an outhouse, really, because I think we just wanted to use pretzels to build something.

More importantly, and to the February House theme, we made a Valentine's Day Tree (chocolate wrapped around a pretzel) and house, an MLK Bvld street sign, and a marzipan bust of the presidents.  I'm really quite proud of that bust (and I like saying bust).  Unfortunately, it's mostly covered by the roof of the house.  Take my word on how cool it looked.

We figured a little dusting of coconut snow was absolutely appropriate for February.  We may have used more, but Megan hates coconut.  :-)

As of 2013, we use a lot of brown food coloring for writing and shading.  Looking back, I like our use of chocolate.  It may be time to revive that method.

When you look at the background of our house photo, do you notice a familiar item?  It's our customary background decor.

Cheers!