• Take your Butter and Egg out of the fridge to let them come to room temperature
• Chop the butter into small pieces and mix with a stand mixer (paddle attachment) or beaters for 2-3 minutes until light and smooth, scraping down the bowl halfway. This is called 'creaming the butter’
• Add in your Bake it Gingerbread House Baking Mix, Egg, Treacle, Vanilla, and Water to your mixing bowl
• Start to mix on the lowest speed otherwise you will end up with a flour filled kitchen! You can cover the top with a towel or guard as well if needed
• Mix for 1 minute, stop to scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula or spoon to make sure all your ingredients get mixed well
• Mix again on low for 2 minutes until the dough forms together
• This next step is my pro tip to roll your dough before chilling so that it chills evenly & is much easier to cut into shapes without having to roll the chilled dough out or add additional flour
• Use 4 large pieces of baking paper. Place ½ the dough on 1 piece of paper
• Cover with another piece of baking paper on top and roll to about 5mm thickness, we don’t want it too thin.. Use a non-slip mat if needed underneath
• Roll one direction lengthways and then turn the paper/dough to roll in a sideways direction, so it makes a nice even dough. Don’t let it go past the edges of the baking paper otherwise it will dry out in the fridge, and we want an even shape to make sure it bakes evenly. And repeat with the other ½ of the dough
• If you can fold the sides of the baking paper on top so that there is no gingerbread sticking out and pop into the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight is best. Don’t stress if you can’t though it’s fine as is
• After its overnight chill, cut out the house template & pre-heat your oven to 175°C & line your baking tray with baking paper or your silicone baking mat. You can reuse the one from rolling out the dough
• Remove the top layer of baking paper and peel back the underneath just so it detaches from the dough but leave it underneath, otherwise it will stick to your bench
• Get your gingerbread template and place them on top of the gingerbread I like to place them on top to see if I can fit them all in before I start cutting. We can re-roll and cut anything that doesn’t fit
• Get a sharp flat edge knife not serrated & cut along the edges, cut in a straight line up against the paper
• Place each piece on the lined baking tray with a couple of cm in between. They need a little space otherwise they will end up a big, joined house.
• Re-roll any left-over dough & repeat the cutting process. Pop it back in the fridge if it is getting too soft. You can make some gingerbread men or cut decorations for your house. These may bake quicker than your house so keep an eye on them.
• Bake for about 11 minutes or until the edges just start going a darker golden colour, but not burnt! If the top is ready first take it out and leave the bottom one for an extra minute to finish, only if needed though
• Now the hardest part! Once it is baked, let it cool for a few minutes and move to a cooling rack to cool completely. You need to let it cool a little before you move it to the rack otherwise it will break. And you cannot make the house if the gingerbread has any warmth in it at all so let it cool
• Once cooled, make the Royal Icing and assemble.
• Gingerbread Houses can last a few weeks but store in an airtight container in a dark, cool place overnight or when you aren’t going to eat/display it to keep it fresh and free from dust etc.

If you have lost your gingerbread house template please click here and you can print a new copy.

How to cut your template and gingerbread here

How to make your royal icing here

How to assemble your house here

If you have any questions at all please let us know, you can send us a DM, email at hello@bakeitbygiovannellis.com.au or via our contact us page. We are always happy to chat and no question is to big or small. We always respond so if you don't hear back from us then please reach out as we may have not got your message