The ultimate gingerbread house

How to create your own gluten-free gingerbread house

Prep time: 2 hours (plus setting time)
Cook time: 10 minutes
Serves: 8

For the gingerbread
240g salted butter, softened
200g muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
450g golden syrup
2 tsp ground flaxseeds
2 tbsp hot water
450g gluten-free flour
300g gluten-free oat flour
200g quinoa flour
½ tsp SpinneysFOOD salt
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 tsp SpinneysFOOD fine ginger
2tsp SpinneysFOOD Fine cinnamon
1 tsp SpinneysFOOD nutmeg, freshly ground
1 tsp ground cloves

For the royal icing
1 large egg white
300g SpinneysFOOD super fine icing sugar, sifted, plus extra for dusting
1 tbsp lemon juice

To assemble
Ribbon

01 Preheat the oven to 180°C, gas mark 4. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
02 Combine the butter and sugar together and cream using a paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, for approx. 8 minutes.
03 Add the eggs and golden syrup and mix well. Mix the ground flaxseeds and hot water together and allow to absorb for 5 minutes.
04 To make the gluten-free oat flour, blitz gluten-free oats in a blender until fine.
05 Sieve the dry ingredients, including the finely powdered oats, into the butter mixture. Add the soaked flaxseeds and mix to form a dough.
06 Form the dough into a disc and cover in cling film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
07 Lightly dust a clean work surface with some extra gluten-free flour and roll out the dough to ½cm thick.

08 Using the grid images above, cut out the gingerbread house pieces. Next take the tip of a small piping nozzle and cut out rounds where the string will be pulled through. Transfer to the lined baking trays.
09 Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on the tray before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
10 To make the royal icing, whisk the egg white gently then add the icing sugar until stiff paste forms.

11 Add the lemon juice and stir. Add a few teaspoons of water while whisking until you reach a consistency that is stiff but still oozes enough to create a drip.
12 Place in a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle and decorate the sides and roof of the gingerbread house.
13 Allow to set completely – preferably a full day.
14 When ready to assemble, thread the ribbon through the punched-out holes and connect all the pieces together to form the house. Do the same with the roof and place the roof on top.
15 Dust with the icing sugar and set out as a delicious centerpiece for your table.

Download and print your gingerbread house template here: GingerbreadHouse.pdf