Hagrid's Hut Gingerbread House
Dive head-first into the Hogwarts Christmas spirit this year by constructing this awesome Hagrid's Hut Gingerbread House! Read for all the tips & recipes!
Ingredients
Gingerbread House (recipe is from Erin Jeanne McDowell on Food52)
- 7 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1 Tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cloves
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp fine salt
- 1½ cups vegetable shortening
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup molasses
- 3 large eggs
Royal Icing (you may need more or less, depending on your building's size and decoration)
- 11 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 2 egg whites, divided
- 1 cup water, divided
Instructions
Make the Gingerbread Dough
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream the shortening and granulated sugar together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or with an electric hand mixer. Beat until it is light and fluffy after about 5 minutes.
- Slowly add the molasses and continue mixing on a low speed until it's all combined.
- Add one egg at a time, mixing well and scraping the bowl after each addition.
- Add the dry mixture gradually. Mix the dough together until no dry pockets of flour remain. Scrape the bowl to ensure everything is well combined.
- Divide the dough into three disks (it will be very soft) and wrap each disk in plastic cling wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least two hours.
Bake the Gingerbread
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Roll out the dough on a flour surface or on floured parchment paper until it is about ⅓-inch to ¼-inch thick.
- Use your paper and/or cardboard templates to cut out the shapes of your gingerbread house. Carefully transfer your pieces to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Baking times will vary based on the size and shape of your gingerbread house pieces. Most of my wall and triangle pieces took about 20 to 25 minutes to bake. Err on the side of over-baking your pieces, which will make them more crisp and sturdy for construction. The pieces are done when they are noticeably darker around the edges.
- Let the gingerbread cool completely, which will also give them time to harden.
Make the Royal Icing & Construct Your House
- It's best to make your royal icing in smaller batches, so it doesn't all dry out. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or in a bowl with an electric hand whisk, combine 5½ cups flour, one egg white and 4 tablespoons of water.
- Add another tablespoon of water at a time until your icing is smooth and thick. You'll want it thin enough to be able to pipe out of a piping bag, but thick enough so it doesn't spread out everywhere, and dries within an hour or two.
- Dye your royal icing as desired with food coloring and put it into a piping bag. I decorated all the stone details on the walls and roof before constructing the house.
- Use the royal icing also to construct your gingerbread house. Add a thick line of icing onto the bottom of your first wall piece and another thick line of icing onto the board where the wall will stand. Place the wall on the board. Use cans or jars to prop this up in place while it dries.
- Add more icing onto the bottom of the next wall piece, and on the board where it will stand. Also add icing onto both edges where the walls will connect. Place it down and use more jars and cans to prop it up.
- Continue to process of icing pieces and securing them in place while they dry until you've constructed your gingerbread house. Let it dry completely overnight before adding on final touches like windows and doors secured on the walls with more royal icing. Enjoy!!