gingerbread house flour

Oh pshaw, on Thu 06 Dec 2007 10:23:01p, Linda meant to say...

Quoted message said:

Hi all, I'm wanting to make a gingerbread house for the first time -
trying to start a new family tradition with my kids.

I've found several recipes online (but I'm open to others if anyone has
a particular favourite!) all of which say to use all purpose flour. We
only use wholegrain flour here (I grind it myself) - does anyone know if
that will make a huge difference? Make it heavier I guess, but so long
as the pieces are thin when rolled out that should still be ok right?
And I might need more liquid I suppose as wholegrain flour seems to
absorb more - does anyone have experience of this?

And if anyone has any favourite patterns (or links to ones online)
although I've found some, I'd be interested in checking others out too!

Thanks

In my somewhat limited experience, whole grain baked goods generally tend
to have a crumblier texture than those made with refined flours. I would
be hesitant to build a house that might lie in shambles.

Is this a gingerbread house that is intended to be eaten at some point?
Many people who bake them do so strictly for their decorative appeal and
not for eating. If, by chance, you're not planning to eat it, you might
want to consider using all-purpose flour just this once to insure success
and integrity of the building structure.

I applaud your efforts, but I will worry about the consequences.

--
Wayne Boatwright

Date: Thursday, Dec 6,2007

*******************************************
Countdown 'til Christmas
2wks 2dys 1hrs 15mins
*******************************************
Cats: Good for dusting high places.
*******************************************

Quoted message said:

In my somewhat limited experience, whole grain baked goods generally tend
to have a crumblier texture than those made with refined flours. I would
be hesitant to build a house that might lie in shambles.

Is this a gingerbread house that is intended to be eaten at some point?
Many people who bake them do so strictly for their decorative appeal and
not for eating. If, by chance, you're not planning to eat it, you might
want to consider using all-purpose flour just this once to insure success
and integrity of the building structure.

I applaud your efforts, but I will worry about the consequences.

Haha, thanks for your concern, (you're not a builder are you?)!! You bet we
plan on eating it!! And I guess you could say by the time we use the royal
icing to put it together does it really matter if there is more or less
nutrition in the flour? (I'll be making sugar free fruit candies to
decorate it with). So yes I could go and get some basic white flour to use
if I really have to - I just wanted to check here first in case it really
didn't make much difference.

Wayne Boatwright said:

Is this a gingerbread house that is intended to be eaten at some
point? Many people who bake them do so strictly for their decorative
appeal and not for eating. If, by chance, you're not planning to
eat it, you might want to consider using all-purpose flour just this
once to insure success and integrity of the building structure.

Or plaster. Then you can re-use it next year.
And the year after that. It could become a
family heirloom. Great-grandma made that. :-)

"Mark Thorson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

Is this a gingerbread house that is intended to be eaten at some
point? Many people who bake them do so strictly for their decorative
appeal and not for eating. If, by chance, you're not planning to
eat it, you might want to consider using all-purpose flour just this
once to insure success and integrity of the building structure.

Or plaster. Then you can re-use it next year.
And the year after that. It could become a
family heirloom. Great-grandma made that. :-)

Hmm interesting idea but I have enough problems trying to decide where to
put the top layer of our wedding cake which we kept. It's fruit cake and we
had planned on eating it one day - until the ants got to it and DH made an
executive decision that we never would and coated the thing in fly spray.
No bug has dared go near it since - but we've moved to a smaller place and I
really just have no place to keep it other than inside a plastic container
inside a cupboard - which is really a waste of time, but I can't bring
myself to throw it out. The last thing I need is for it to have a partner
that I have to store!!

Oh pshaw, on Thu 06 Dec 2007 11:15:20p, Linda meant to say...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In my somewhat limited experience, whole grain baked goods generally
tend to have a crumblier texture than those made with refined flours.
I would be hesitant to build a house that might lie in shambles.

Is this a gingerbread house that is intended to be eaten at some point?
Many people who bake them do so strictly for their decorative appeal
and not for eating. If, by chance, you're not planning to eat it, you
might want to consider using all-purpose flour just this once to insure
success and integrity of the building structure.

I applaud your efforts, but I will worry about the consequences.

Haha, thanks for your concern, (you're not a builder are you?)!! You
bet we plan on eating it!! And I guess you could say by the time we use
the royal icing to put it together does it really matter if there is
more or less nutrition in the flour? (I'll be making sugar free fruit
candies to decorate it with). So yes I could go and get some basic
white flour to use if I really have to - I just wanted to check here
first in case it really didn't make much difference.

Then perhaps this recipe might be of some interest, in that it calls for
whole wheat flour, although it is for gingerbread men. Usually,
gingerbreadmen are fairly stable. The recipe is from cooks.com

WHOLE WHEAT GINGERBREAD MEN

1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 c. light molasses
1 tbsp. finely shredded orange peel
2 tbsp. orange juice
3 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. whole wheat
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves

Cream butter and brown sugar; add egg and beat until fluffy. Add molasses,
orange peel, and juice. Mix well. Stir together flours and spices; add to
creamed mixture. Chill. Roll dough on floured surface 1/4 inch thick. Cut
with cutter. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

--
Wayne Boatwright

Date: Thursday, December 6th,2007

*******************************************
Countdown 'til Christmas
2wks 2dys 15mins
*******************************************
Cats do not like beer. Really.
*******************************************

Wayne Boatwright said:

I applaud your efforts, but I will worry about the consequences.

🙂 Maybe she has a dentist in the family.

--
See return address to reply by email
remove the smiley face first

In article <[email hidden]>,

Wayne Boatwright said:

Oh pshaw, on Thu 06 Dec 2007 10:23:01p, Linda meant to say...

Quoted message said:

Hi all, I'm wanting to make a gingerbread house for the first time -
trying to start a new family tradition with my kids.

I've found several recipes online (but I'm open to others if anyone has
a particular favourite!) all of which say to use all purpose flour. We
only use wholegrain flour here (I grind it myself) - does anyone know if
that will make a huge difference? Make it heavier I guess, but so long
as the pieces are thin when rolled out that should still be ok right?
And I might need more liquid I suppose as wholegrain flour seems to
absorb more - does anyone have experience of this?

And if anyone has any favourite patterns (or links to ones online)
although I've found some, I'd be interested in checking others out too!

In my somewhat limited experience, whole grain baked goods generally tend
to have a crumblier texture than those made with refined flours. I would
be hesitant to build a house that might lie in shambles.

Wholegrain flours have a lower gluten content. Adding some gluten (look
for vital wheat gluten, or gluten flour) might help.

Quoted message said:

Is this a gingerbread house that is intended to be eaten at some point?
Many people who bake them do so strictly for their decorative appeal and
not for eating. If, by chance, you're not planning to eat it, you might
want to consider using all-purpose flour just this once to insure success
and integrity of the building structure.

I agree with this. A good rule-of-thumb is to try a recipe as it's
written the first time. Once you know the intended outcome, then you
can start making it more like what you want.

Miche

--
Electricians do it in three phases

Wayne Boatwright said:

In my somewhat limited experience, whole grain baked goods generally tend
to have a crumblier texture than those made with refined flours. I would
be hesitant to build a house that might lie in shambles.

Especially important if the Big Bad Wolf were ever to come
a'huffin and a 'puffin.

-sw

"Wayne Boatwright" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Oh pshaw, on Thu 06 Dec 2007 11:15:20p, Linda meant to say...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

In my somewhat limited experience, whole grain baked goods generally
tend to have a crumblier texture than those made with refined flours.
I would be hesitant to build a house that might lie in shambles.

Is this a gingerbread house that is intended to be eaten at some point?
Many people who bake them do so strictly for their decorative appeal
and not for eating. If, by chance, you're not planning to eat it, you
might want to consider using all-purpose flour just this once to insure
success and integrity of the building structure.

I applaud your efforts, but I will worry about the consequences.

Haha, thanks for your concern, (you're not a builder are you?)!! You
bet we plan on eating it!! And I guess you could say by the time we use
the royal icing to put it together does it really matter if there is
more or less nutrition in the flour? (I'll be making sugar free fruit
candies to decorate it with). So yes I could go and get some basic
white flour to use if I really have to - I just wanted to check here
first in case it really didn't make much difference.

Then perhaps this recipe might be of some interest, in that it calls for
whole wheat flour, although it is for gingerbread men. Usually,
gingerbreadmen are fairly stable. The recipe is from cooks.com

WHOLE WHEAT GINGERBREAD MEN

1 c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 c. light molasses
1 tbsp. finely shredded orange peel
2 tbsp. orange juice
3 c. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. whole wheat
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves

Cream butter and brown sugar; add egg and beat until fluffy. Add molasses,
orange peel, and juice. Mix well. Stir together flours and spices; add to
creamed mixture. Chill. Roll dough on floured surface 1/4 inch thick. Cut
with cutter. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Thanks

The message <[email hidden]>
from Wayne Boatwright <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

Is this a gingerbread house that is intended to be eaten at some point?
Many people who bake them do so strictly for their decorative appeal and
not for eating. If, by chance, you're not planning to eat it, you might
want to consider using all-purpose flour just this once to insure success
and integrity of the building structure.

I would agree. Last Christmas, we were given a wonderful traditional
Scandinavian gingerbread house. entirely home made by my son's lovely
Nordic girlfriend. Edible and delicious.

Before he got together with the Goddess I used to assemble one from
IKEA's foodstore, who sell all the component parts, edible, ready-baked
and flat packed to construct at home, great family fun on Christmas Eve.

Janet.

Linda said:

Hi all, I'm wanting to make a gingerbread house for the first time - trying
to start a new family tradition with my kids.

I've found several recipes online (but I'm open to others if anyone has a
particular favourite!) all of which say to use all purpose flour. We only
use wholegrain flour here (I grind it myself) - does anyone know if that
will make a huge difference?

There are several whole-grain recipes if you search google for
"whole-wheat gingerbread":
http://www.google.com/search?q=whole-wheat+gingerbread&hl=en

Serene

Linda said:

Hmm interesting idea but I have enough problems trying to decide where to
put the top layer of our wedding cake which we kept. It's fruit cake and we
had planned on eating it one day - until the ants got to it and DH made an
executive decision that we never would and coated the thing in fly spray.
No bug has dared go near it since - but we've moved to a smaller place and I
really just have no place to keep it other than inside a plastic container
inside a cupboard - which is really a waste of time, but I can't bring
myself to throw it out. The last thing I need is for it to have a partner
that I have to store!!

I hope there's a note with the cake warning
not to eat it. If you were to die without
leaving behind any instructions, you never
know what might happen.

Wayne Boatwright said:

Oh pshaw, on Thu 06 Dec 2007 10:23:01p, Linda meant to say...

Quoted message said:

Hi all, I'm wanting to make a gingerbread house for the first time -
trying to start a new family tradition with my kids.

I've found several recipes online (but I'm open to others if anyone has
a particular favourite!) all of which say to use all purpose flour. We
only use wholegrain flour here (I grind it myself) - does anyone know if
that will make a huge difference? Make it heavier I guess, but so long
as the pieces are thin when rolled out that should still be ok right?
And I might need more liquid I suppose as wholegrain flour seems to
absorb more - does anyone have experience of this?

And if anyone has any favourite patterns (or links to ones online)
although I've found some, I'd be interested in checking others out too!

Thanks

In my somewhat limited experience, whole grain baked goods generally tend
to have a crumblier texture than those made with refined flours. I would
be hesitant to build a house that might lie in shambles.

perfect for a gingerbread ghetto!

your pal,
blake

Oh pshaw, on Fri 07 Dec 2007 02:57:34a, Sqwertz meant to say...

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

In my somewhat limited experience, whole grain baked goods generally

tend

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to have a crumblier texture than those made with refined flours. I

would

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

be hesitant to build a house that might lie in shambles.

Especially important if the Big Bad Wolf were ever to come
a'huffin and a 'puffin.

-sw

Did you mean Sheldon?

--
Wayne Boatwright

Date: Fri, 12(XII)/7(VII)/07(MMVII)

*******************************************
Countdown 'til Christmas
2wks 1dys 4hrs 45mins
*******************************************
Even Murphy's Law doesn't work all the
time.
*******************************************

Oh pshaw, on Fri 07 Dec 2007 03:43:14p, blake murphy meant to say...

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

Oh pshaw, on Thu 06 Dec 2007 10:23:01p, Linda meant to say...

Quoted message said:

Hi all, I'm wanting to make a gingerbread house for the first time -
trying to start a new family tradition with my kids.

I've found several recipes online (but I'm open to others if anyone has
a particular favourite!) all of which say to use all purpose flour. We
only use wholegrain flour here (I grind it myself) - does anyone know

if

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

that will make a huge difference? Make it heavier I guess, but so long
as the pieces are thin when rolled out that should still be ok right?
And I might need more liquid I suppose as wholegrain flour seems to
absorb more - does anyone have experience of this?

And if anyone has any favourite patterns (or links to ones online)
although I've found some, I'd be interested in checking others out too!

Thanks

In my somewhat limited experience, whole grain baked goods generally tend
to have a crumblier texture than those made with refined flours. I would
be hesitant to build a house that might lie in shambles.

perfect for a gingerbread ghetto!

your pal,
blake

ROTF!

--
Wayne Boatwright

Date: Fri, 12(XII)/7(VII)/07(MMVII)

*******************************************
Countdown 'til Christmas
2wks 1dys 4hrs 45mins
*******************************************
Even Murphy's Law doesn't work all the
time.
*******************************************