Ambitious Gingerbread Project

[zilla369]

So....

Got this crazy idea i'd like to create a gingerbread replica of the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville for a holiday seasonal display. The restaurant i work for is housed in this building. You can see a picture here.

*Sigh*

Now, i haven't made up my mind to do it. However, i have done some fairly decent gingerbread houses in the past - just none of them were patterned after an actual building.

This building is mostly glass - is there a nice "sugar glass" technique i've never been introduced to? How would one execute that curved piece of architecture? There's a couple distinctive sculptures out front that i could probably represent with cookies.

Let's put our brains together, pastry people!

Edited November 16, 2004 by zilla369 (log)

[eunny jang]

I think I remember reading somewhere about a woman who does custom replicas of people's mansions and historic buildings in gingerbread during the Christmas season....I will see if I can dig it up.

Edit: 's s

Edited November 16, 2004 by eunny jang (log)

[KarenS]

I think it's a great project (I love challenges). Poured isomalt would work for the glass. I think that Steve KLC has a huge wealth of knowledge on sugar- try to contact him.

[ComeUndone]

It's already that time of year to think about gingerbread projects! My coworkers and I have been building gingerbread houses for the past four holiday seasons and it's something all of us really enjoy.

The building that you want to build has very clean lines but that also means the royal icing adhesive must be very neat and well-hidden. One thing that I find with modern buildings is that they are often too stark for gingerbread projects. Decorating the building in holiday theme is a fun way to include more colour and add a touch of festive atmosphere. For example, instead of replicating the pale blue glass wall exactly as shown, it would be whimsical to have it in a checkerboard pattern of pale pink and pale green. Of course, drapping garlands of greenery with tiny red dots of holly around the building is always fun.

Looks like a really fun project! Good luck!

[nightscotsman]

poured sugar or isomalt would work for the glass, but would have to be quite thick for large expanses. You might consider using sheets of gelatine instead. Or you could do a clear caramel from fondant and glucose like Oriol Balaguer does for garnishes - it would be thinner than poured sugar and might be a little sturdier, but still relatively fragile.

600 g fondant

400 g glucose

combine and heat to 160 C. Set pan in ice bath to stop cooking. Pour onto Silpat and spread to 3-5mm. Let cool and cut into pieces. Place pieces on a sheet pan between two silpats and heat in the oven to soften (don't let it color or bubble). Use a rolling pin to spread thin and cut shapes while still warm and soft.

[K8memphis]

Wull, here's an easier idea - make a mold - even out of aluminum foil and melt jolly ranchers - I just tried some at 350 degrees for 5 minutes - way way cool - but I have these like flat square shaped jolly ranchers - not the usual kina elongated ones so they melted in five mins - so the elongated ones would take maybe a few more mins to melt - y'know experiment - but you have the colors already too!!! Little more user friendly idee-er.

edited to say - then a' course when you need the curved glass - you watch that piece as it sets and manipulate it to the curve you want - y'know??

Edited November 16, 2004 by K8memphis (log)

[K8memphis]

Umm, yah, you're crazy though I mean that in the nicest way of course.

But but but I just found out about this gingerbread web page - being made aware of it from a friend on another board. You maybe already know about it - looks like its gotta lotta good ju-ju.

www.frankysattic.com

You gonna' do it?? Looks like a project d'migraine but way way way cool. I think I would do solid panes and put gingerbread 'stripes' for the floors - unless you could find some chocolate string licorice - then illuminate the inside with like a christmas tree inside & stuff like that.

Plus the heat from the lights would either enhance or ruin the whole thing aheh - my ahh jolly rancher experiment continues to hold it's shape but it got tacky - so probably the lights would actually help with any humidity.

Wonder what would happen if you sprayed the inside of the windows with silver or lined with smooth foil?? So it might reflect everything in it's path??? Since the building is the extreme in reflection anyway...

Edited November 17, 2004 by K8memphis (log)

[stscam]

We're just finishing up a gingerbread house based on a local historic mansion. For windows we used sheet gelatine. Their light straw color and diamond markings make for a realistic glass stand-in. Their transparency is great if you want people to see into the house. You can install them with royal icing or, if allowed, hot glue. They look much better than sugar glass (which in our tests showed some fogging and discoloring as it aged.

All the cutting of the wall and roof piece was done after baking. A local cabinet maker cut them out, windows, doors and all, on his band saw (with suprisingly little breakage). The biggest problem was warping.

To replicate the wooden shingle exterior of the mansion, we attached brown-colored fondant rolled through a Rondo sheeter at a 2 setting. We then scribed shingles into the fondant, and got a weathered look with a dusting of Brazilian black cocoa. We're doing the same for the roof, only in a slightly different shade. It's been a lot of work, but the look is amazing.

We've also installed lights. A local hobby shop had rice grain-sized 12v bulbs. Some of these were placed behind the gelatine windows as "candles." The bulbs were too bright at 12v, so we used a 9v power supply (Radio Shack) to reduce the intensity. The shop also had special "fireplace" bulbs that flicker. So the model mansion has a "working" fireplace. Because the real house is haunted, ours has a ghost, too, lit by a pair of strobing white LED's. By drilling holes into a gingerbread christmas tree, we were able to mount 15 vari-colored bulbs. The tree is in the living room and folks can see it through the windows.

We cast the chimney in solid chocolate, using a "crocodile skin" texture mat to emboss bricks into the piece.

The house is due Monday and we'll make it by the skin of our chinny-chin-chin. But it's been an exciting challenge. When it's all finished I'll try to post some pictures here.

Cheers,

[Wendy DeBord]

The house is due Monday and we'll make it by the skin of our chinny-chin-chin.  But it's been an exciting challenge.  When it's all finished I'll try to post some pictures here.

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Wow, this sounds very interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing your photos! Good Luck!!

[stscam]

Here's one photo of our completed gingerbread house - I'll add some more soon.

A friend who is a professional cabinet maker (and perfectionist) cut the pieces out (after baking) and did much of the wall and roofing work. We think it turned out pretty well for a first effort in this medium. Check my earlier post for a description of some of the techniques we used.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Cheers

[K8memphis]

Way cool, Steve!!!

[chocklateer]

Lovely!

How does one go about cutting the gingerbread AFTER baking?Is it very difficult/tricky? I've heard of doing this before, but I've only made gingerbread houses by cutting the pieces and then baking.

Thanks,

D.

[Wendy DeBord]

Very nice house.........so clean and perfect! Thanks for sharing with us!!

I cut my gingerbread before baking but then go back and trim after it's baked. It's supprisingly not as fragile as one might think. I use a recipe from Martha Stewart........... I tend to think some recipes cut and stay shaped better then others. You do have to becareful that it's not crisply baked, then it cracks when you cut.

[lancastermike]

I am very proud of anyone who takes on one of these projects. Many years ago when I was Food&Beverage manager at a hotel I had a couple of guys from Johnson & Wales doing their practicum with us. I was supposed to give them a special project. I had them do a big gingerbred disply for the lobby. By the time they were done they hated me for that. It is horribly difficult. The Chef told them it developed culinary technique. I told them it showed them early in their carrer that the culinary staff should ignore us managment types as much as possible.

[stscam]

How does one go about cutting the gingerbread AFTER baking?Is it very difficult/tricky? I've heard of doing this before, but I've only made gingerbread houses by cutting the pieces and then baking.

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Gingerbread can be funny stuff. We discovered that we could drill, cut and sand ours. Keith, the cabinet maker, was able to make very accurate cuts using a band saw and a jig saw. Of course, you need quite dense g'bread, but not too mosit. We also discovered that a thickness of about 5/16ths of an inche was best. Thinner and you risk structural collapse. Thicker and you get an undesirable heaviness to the finished piece. Make sure you let your pieces dry absolutely flat, or your walls and roofs will warp.

Cheers,

[mktye]

Gingerbread can be funny stuff.  We discovered that we could drill, cut and sand ours.

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I second this. I helped my friend's daughter make a gingerbread mission (San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, to be exact) for a school project. Most the pieces we cut to size before baking, but my husband cut the angles for the roof pieces on his table saw! He said he'd never before worked with such good smelling "wood".

[Wendy DeBord]

I bet an electric saw would work great............but if you don't have access to this I use a serated knive.