Gingerbread baking

Gingerbread baking is as much a part of Advent as the Christmas tree for many of us: the scent of honey and spices fills the whole house. Here you will find everything you need – gingerbread spice and baking mix, cutters and silicone moulds, sugar decorations and tins that keep your gingerbread nice and soft.

What you will find for gingerbread baking

• Ingredients: gingerbread spice (60 g), gingerbread baking mix (500 g) for when time is short, the classic raising agents Triebsalz, Pottasche (potassium carbonate) and baker's ammonia (ammonium bicarbonate), plus gum arabic for a glossy finish.
• Royal icing: royal icing mix in 450 g, 900 g and 4 kg for decorating gingerbread men and gluing your gingerbread house together.
• Gingerbread man cutters: mini and small, 10, 13.5 and 21 cm, a Wilton cutter at 10 x 11.5 cm, one with a wooden embosser, a plunger cutter and a fluted 2-in-1 cutter, plus the 4-piece gingerbread family. You will find every design under Gingerbread man & house.
• Silicone moulds: the gingerbread silicone baking mould for 6 pieces and the gingerbread man silicone mould for 12 pieces – handy if you would rather not roll out the dough.
• Decorations and cupcakes: «Lebkuchenzeit» sugar decorations (9 pieces), gingerbread man sugar decorations in packs of 6 or 12, gingerbread cupcake cases (48 pieces) and the gingerbread man cupcake box.
• For storage: the gingerbread house biscuit tin (180 x 120 x 58 mm) and the «Winterzeit» gingerbread tin (Ø 117 x 120 mm).

Making your own gingerbread house

You do not need a ready-made kit: with the gingerbread house cutter set or the mini gingerbread house set you cut the pieces straight from the dough; for flat little houses for the biscuit tin, use the embossed gingerbread house cutter (7.5 cm). Roll the dough to an even thickness so that all pieces bake the same, and trim the edges straight after baking while the gingerbread is still warm. Only assemble once everything has cooled completely – ideally with thick royal icing. Our recipe build your own gingerbread house shows you how, step by step.

Tips from our bakery

Honey gingerbread dough improves if it rests overnight: it rolls out more easily and the spices develop. Bake gingerbread only until it is just firm – baked too long, it turns hard. For a shine, brush it with dissolved gum arabic straight out of the oven. Our tried and tested basic recipe is the honey gingerbread recipe. You will find more designs among all our Christmas cookie cutters, and everything for the festive season under Winter & Christmas.

Frequently asked questions

How does gingerbread stay soft?

In an airtight tin, kept apart from crisp biscuits. A slice of apple in the tin releases moisture; replace it every few days. This usually softens gingerbread that has gone hard, too.

How far ahead can I bake gingerbread?

Two to three weeks before Christmas is fine – after a few days in the tin it often tastes even better. A gingerbread house for display is best built at the start of Advent.