This recipe is foolproof, and I do not reach for any other recipe. This recipe is from an old good housekeeping book which has seen its good days with a hob-sized circle burn mark on it. The back. This recipe is originally for you to make stables at Christmas. I use this to make my gingerbread house and decorations like stars, trees, people, and roofs, but if I want gingerbreads to bring to a social gathering, it is perfect, too, and you get a lot out of it. So I recommend, if you don't need a load of biscuits, half the dough before chilling it in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting out your shapes and putting it in the freezer for a last-minute baking session later. Let's get cracking.
Ingredients.
350 g (12 oz) plain white flour
5 ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
30 ml (2 tbsp) ground ginger
15 ml (I tbsp) ground cinnamon
2.5 ml (½ tsp) ground cloves
J 25 g (4 oz) butter
175 g (6 oz) soft light brown sugar
60 ml (2 tsp) golden syrup
I egg (size 4)
CARAMEL
125 g (4 oz) caster sugar
30 ml (2 tbsp) water
TO DECORATE twiglets or lean straw
matting
demerara and other brown sugars for sprinkling
a little glacé or royal icing food colouring
edible gold leaf or lustre
powder
few toffees or flat sweets
PREPARATION TIME
It takes about 2 hours, plus drying
COOKING TIME
8-10 minutes
Recipe.
I. Cut out templates for the stable and line two baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) Mark 5.
2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, and spices into a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
3. Warm the syrup very slightly and beat in the egg. Cool slightly, then pour onto the flour mixture. Beat with a wooden spoon to a soft dough. Bring it together with your hands and knead until it's smooth. Half the dough should be cut off, wrapped in cling fill, and reserved.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the other piece of dough to a 5 mm (¼ inch) thickness. Using the stable templates and a sharp knife, cut out each shape. Carefully transfer to the baking sheets, straighten any edges and chill for 15 minutes. Knead the trimmings into the reserved dough, re-wrap and chill to make the figures later.
5. Bake the stable pieces for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Please leave it to cool and harden for 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. To make the caramel, dissolve the sugar in the water in a heavy-based pan over low heat, then boil it to a pale caramel. Immediately dip the base of the pan in cool water to stop further cooking. Use this caramel to join the edges of the stable and cement it to a cake board. Join the roof to the stable. Stick twigs or straw matting to the roof if you like. Sprinkle sugar(s) in and around the stable.
7. Using the templates (on pages 188-9), cut out the figures and carefully place them on the baking sheets. Bake as before, checking after 8 minutes. Excellent as before (use any remaining dough to make biscuits).
8. Decorate the figures with gold leaf or lustre powder and coloured glacé or royal icing. Allow it to dry before assembling it around the stable. Use a toffee or sweet and a little icing to cement the base of each figure that should be attached to the board. Then, get decorating. Do not use heavy chocolate or sweets if you are using it as a gingerbread house. Suppose 2d biscuits get those smarties at the ready to add some buttons and the coloured icing decorating tubes.
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