How to Make a Gingerbread House

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, warm the butter with the golden syrup, the ground ginger, the cinnamon and the brown sugar until the butter has melted and everything is one dark, glossy mixture.

Molasses is the traditional choice and gives the deepest colour and flavour. Golden syrup or corn syrup both work if that is what you can get.

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Measure the flour into a large bowl, pour in the melted butter mixture along with the milk, and mix with a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until it comes together. The dough should be very thick and extremely sticky.

There is no baking powder or baking soda in this recipe, and that is deliberate. A dough that rises is a dough that changes shape, and house walls that change shape do not meet at the corners.

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Cover the dough and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Then take about a cupful at a time and roll it between two sheets of nonstick paper until it is around a quarter of an inch thick.

Rolling between paper means no extra flour and no sticking, which matters when the pieces have to stay a precise size.

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Slide the rolled sheet back into the fridge for 15 minutes, then peel off the top paper, lay the template on the dough and cut each piece with one clean press of a long chef's knife rather than dragging a small one.

You need two side walls, two roof panels, a front, a back, a door and four chimney pieces. Lift the excess dough away and return it to the bowl to roll again.

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Chill the cut pieces one more time to stop them shrinking, then bake at 350F for 15 to 20 minutes, until browned.

They come out soft and firm up as they cool, so do not panic and put them back in. Let them cool completely before anything else happens - a warm panel will not hold a wall.

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Put two egg whites and the icing sugar in a mixer bowl and beat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the icing is thick, bright white and holds its shape on the whisk.

This is your glue and your decoration in one. It sets hard, which is exactly what a structure made of biscuit needs.

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Decorate every panel while it is still lying flat on the bench, then leave the pieces to dry for at least 6 hours.

Piping a scalloped roof lying down is straightforward. Piping the same pattern onto a roof already sitting at an angle on an assembled house is not, and gravity will not be helping you.

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Pipe a thick line of royal icing along the edges of the front, back and side panels and press them together on a board. Prop each wall with a mug or a glass while it sets.

Leave the four walls to dry for several hours before the roof goes anywhere near them. This is the stage people rush, and it is the stage that decides whether the house is still standing tomorrow.

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Pipe along the top edges of the walls and along the edge of each roof panel, then rest the roof in place against a support until it holds.

Then the two angled chimney pieces, then the chimney sides, then the door - propped open or closed, whichever you prefer. Leave the whole thing overnight.

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Fill any gaps between the panels with more icing. Thin some with a little water and pipe it along the roofline so it runs down like melting snow, then spread the rest across the board.

Finish with a heavy dusting of icing sugar over the roof and the ground. Cinnamon sticks stacked beside the door make a woodpile, and the leftover baked dough makes the trees.

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