Even in Ancient Rome, cooks were preparing the dough houses to “settle” them as gods. This house was put in place at home altar, and then over time, solemnly eaten by all households. Thus, according to the Romans, was the unity with the divine.
There was no recipe for gingerbread dough that is well kept, and the time just got tastier in those days. So bread houses were eaten for the first 2-3 days after baking.
With the emergence and triumph of Christianity, the tradition of baking houses of the dough completely gone.
Houses gained new popularity, this time from gingerbread dough. They appeared in the 19th century in Germany. In 1812, the world saw the brothers Grimm fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel,” which describes the main characters’ incredible structures. Since then, houses began to prepare in almost every home, participate in fairs and records. Their creation turned into real art, in which competing chefs-pastry chefs.
Due to high demand in Europe appeared separate confectionery mass baking gingerbread houses for every taste. Christmas exhibitions-sales and contests of all kinds to taste, the beauty, and the complexity of such houses’ design. Baked the cakes well before the winter holidays to make gingerbread dough had time to open up, soak, and become soft.
Still, gingerbread architecture is prevalent.
Honey-spiced dough for the house
You will need 3 cups sifted high-quality flour, 4 tablespoons of honey, 100 grams of dry granulated sugar, 50 grams of fat butter, 2 eggs, a teaspoon of baking soda, 2 tablespoons of cognac, 50 ml of water, a teaspoon of spices (cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger, nutmeg), templates for the gingerbread house.
- In a deep bowl, pour the water. Same here, send honey, sugar, and butter. All the ingredients warm-up, but ensure that the mixture does not boil.
- Then send in ground spices and half of the measured flour. With fire, do not remove. Quickly stirring with a spoon, pour the batter, avoiding lumps. Allow the dough to cool, then add the eggs and cognac. And then, in the dough, add the remaining flour. The dough is well kneaded so that the mixture is very smooth.
- From the dough, make a ball, wrap it in cling film, and put it in a cold place for an hour.
- After this dough, you can cut future parts of the house, roll it out, and using the templates.
- Bake all items on a baking sheet, lined with parchment, warmed up to 190 degrees oven for 15-20 minutes. Ensure that the cakes are not dried. Hot they should be soft and only after cooling, the cakes harden.