Gingerbread

For our food art class, our project for the past few weeks was making a gingerbread structure/building. It was to be part of our school Winter Village that will be displayed at the Hyatt Hotel for a month! Personally I don't really like making gingerbread, I could never tell when my dough is soft and workable!

Finished Product

The recipe:

Ingredients:  

• 250 mL Shortening
• 25o mL sugar
• 2 eggs
• 300 mL molasses
• 15 mL vinegar
• 1370 mL flour
• 5 mL baking soda
• 5 mL salt
• 5 mL ground ginger
• 5 mL ground cinnamon
• 5 mL fround cloves

Method:

1. Cream shortening well.
2. Gradually add sugar and cream well again.
3. Beat in eggs, molasses and vinegar.
4. Stir together 250 mL of the flour along with baking soda, salt and spices.                                        
5. Gradually blend the first cup of flour and spices into the creamed mixture and mix well.
6. Add another 250 mL of the flour gradually, blending well.                                     You may find that at this point the dough is stiff enough and the reaming flour may make the dough too dry and crumbly. Your dough should feel soft and workable but not sticky. If you think it had gotten too dry and crumbly then re-crumble into a bowl and sprinkle with a little water and work until it comes together and is workable.
7. Gather the dough into a ball then flatten it into a dish and wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and put in the fridge if you are baking on a different day.
8. Roll out the dough to 3mm thickness  (check with a ruler)                                                          *It may be easier to shape large, cut-out pieces of gingerbread directly on the baking sheet or onto parchment paper, so that the dough doesn't distort as you transfer if from the work surface.
9. Cut into shapes.
10. Place 2.5 cm apart from each other on parchment lined cookie sheets or jelly roll pans.
11. Bake at 375°F or 190°C for 5-6 minutes or until firm and lightly browned.                       *Like any cookie, gingerbread is not crisp or firm when it first comes out of the oven: this means it may be difficult to tell whether it is cookies, particularly as cooking times vary from oven to oven. Generally, the dough will have risen slightly and will be just colouring around the edges. Do not under cook.
12. Cool slightly on the sheet for about 5 minutes, in which time it will start to crisp, and then remove to racks to cool completely.                                                *If the gingerbread still feels very soft, return it to the oven for a few minutes.
13. Very often the gingerbread will distort slightly during baking. If you wish or feel the need to trim it to reshape (especially for the houses pieces to fit properly), be sure to do it while the dough is still warm. If you allow it to cool and then try to trim it, it could break.

To store:

Large, flat pieces of gingerbread must be cooled and stored on a flat surface or they will become distorted. Use a box or try to store and in a ziplock bag. 

Product:

In the Village

Village

Village