Gingerbread Gluten Free Recipe

Why not making gingerbread women and men, and gingerbread houses with your children for this Christmas? It’s a great way to keep them away form the TV, to get them involved and feeling they are contributing to the family. Last but not least, you will spend some great quality time with them, filled with laughters. It will involved more patience and time, and definitely extra clean-up…But it is well worth the effort.
You can buy gluten free flour mix in most supermarkets. Otherwise, in all health food shops. It is mostly made from rice, millet and tapioca flours, with some potato starch and xanthan gum.

You can buy cutters of many different shapes, so don’t feel you need to stick to the traditional ginger woman or man. If you feel like building a house, try here for some blueprints.

For the gingerbread :

100g butter, at room temperature
2 tbs oil (pumpkin seed, avocado or grape seed oil)
100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) dark brown sugar
85ml (1/3 cup) golden syrup
40ml (1/6 cup ) honey
1 egg, separated
375g (2 1/2 cups) Gluten Free Flour Mix
1 tbs ground ginger
1 tsp Chinese 5 spice
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the icing:

150g (1 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted
5-10 drops red liquid food colouring
5-10 drops green liquid food colouring

Turn on your oven, preferably fan bake position, 170 C.
In a large mixing bowl (or even better, using an electric mixer),  whisk well together the soft butter, sugar, honey and oil, till it looks and feel lighter in texture and color ( it is called “creamed”).
Then add the yolk and whisk well till fully combine.
Pour in the flour mix (sieved together: flour, spices and the bicarb) and stir with a wooden spoon. You will have to work gently the dough with your hands (knead until smooth), onto a lightly floured surface. Press dough into a disc,plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
While the dough is resting, whisk the egg white till soft peaks, then gradually add the icing sugar, till stiff peaks. You then divide the royal icing into 3, coloring one batch with the red coloring, and another batch with the green. Cover the 3 containers with plastic wrap. Place in fridge.
Roll out the dough till 4mm thick. You can place it between two baking paper sheets or without if not too sticky.
Cut the dough. You can roll out the trimmings a second time.
Place in oven on tray,on grease proof paper. If you don’t have baking paper, you can either brush melted butter, or you a canola oil spray.
Cook for about 10/15 minutes, until golden brown.
Let cool down at least 30 minutes before you start decorating them with the royal icing, using piping bags.
If you decide for a house, you will have to make more royal icing. You will glue the walls and roof together with this white royal icing.