7 San Francisco Pastry Chefs On Their Top Tips For Creating The Ultimate Gingerbread House
Forbes
One of my favorite holiday traditions is gingerbread house making! Whimsical, fully edible homes made of nothing but sugar, spice and everything nice? What’s not to love? Few things are more impressive during the winter season than epic gingerbread house creations that transcend the imagination. It’s impressive on its own as DIY Christmas décor, but doubles down on Christmas spirit with the fact that it’s also dessert! Not to mention the gingerbread smells amazing once baked. Despite being a little challenging to make from scratch, it’s worth it to see your creative vision come to life.
From a Ferry Building replica that took over 100 hours to make to a model of San Francisco’s Historic Sutro Baths made with 15 pounds of powdered sugar, 10 pounds of flour and one gallon of molasses, San Francisco is home to a handful of over-the-top gingerbread house creations that are beyond impressive.
We chatted with the talented pastry chefs behind these outrageous gingerbread houses on their top tips for making your own from scratch, right at home. Here’s what the best of the best had to say!
Van Dao, Owner and Baker at Biscuit Bender
It all starts with inspiration. I wanted something that was SF-themed and highly recognizable. What better SF icon than actual houses as the Painted Ladies?
Aim to capture the essence of what you are trying to portray rather than making an exact replica. In this way, you end up with a more creative, personalized touch.
Utilize a few primary ingredients over and over but apply them in different forms. In this way, you don't end up buying a wide range of ingredients and only using some of each. For example, just get white icing that you can color yourself in the amount you need vs. buying a container of each color.