This years gingerbread house is a Christmas Bakery complete with a working fireplace! The bakery stands around 24" tall , 18" wide, 12" deep. The bottom windows are see thru to the bakery confections, Christmas tree and presents, and the brick fireplace with stocking hanging.
The bright red gumpaste sleigh out front is filled with presents and a little gingerbread boy and girl. The topiaries are made of gumballs and the planters are made of gingerbread.
Here is a look inside the main front window. The glass is made from gelatin sheets. The tables are set with various gumpaste cakes and cookies. The fireplace in background is made of gingerbread, with cinnamon stick logs and small flickering nightlight representing the flame. The mantle is adorned with gumpaste stockings filled with treats!
Here is a look into the front door (or window!). The Christmas tree is an icing covered ice cream cone. At the base are some gumpaste presents.
And here is a close up of the windows and the right side of the bakery. More gumpaste treats fill the table. You can glimpse the Christmas tree and fireplace in the background.
Another look at the front of the bakery. The sign is hanging from a mini candy cane! The upstairs windows are made from melted butterscotch candies.
More details of the right side of the bakery.
Here's a detail shot of the fabulous fireplace that my dad designed and constructed! Isn't it amazing? I think its the best thing about the gingerbread bakery! The fireplace is made of gingerbread, the bricks are made by scoring the gingerbread and washing over it with royal icing. The logs are cinnamon sticks and the stocking are made from gumpaste (similar to fondant but dries harder) and various candy sprinkles are used to fill.
The Christmas tree inside and the tree outside were made by piping green royal icing onto ice cream cones using a #842 star tip.
Here is the construction of some of the treats that line the tables in the bakery. The treats are made from gumpaste that I made different colors and also tiny candy sprinkles.
Here is my dad working on the pieces of the fireplace. The paper template is in the background.
This Here is the template and prototype of the fireplace.
Here you can see the early design and the eventual lighting with the wooden dowels used to support the large pieces of gingerbread. When making a gingerbread structure of this size you must have supports or the gingerbread will collapse. The paper templates are taped up to the support to see if the final gingerbread will fit correctly.
The The original template of the gingerbread bakery. This was completely designed by my dad.
Here is a shot of most of the gingerbread pieces used to make the bakery. It takes a whole lotta gingerbread to create a house of this size!
Thanks leendadll! The see-thru window glass is actually german gelatin sheets! These rectangular sheets of gelatin are used by professional cooks instead of granulated gelatin. And I used them to make these cool looking see-thru windows on the gingerbread
houses.
Posted by: Goodies By Anna | 01/04/2017 at 02:41 PM
HOLY COW!!! Every year I think you've done the most you can do - then you top yourself the next year!
Is the window technique new?
Posted by: leendadll | 01/04/2017 at 02:18 PM
Hello,
Wow , this blows me away! Is this gingerbread house for sale?
What other gingerbread houses do you have ..
Beautiful detailed work!!
Best, linda
Posted by: Linda ellus | 12/31/2016 at 07:24 AM
Thank you Anna and Secondo for yet another FANTABULOUS Gingerbread house! It looks good enough to eat! and I love the working fireplace!
Posted by: donna dee | 12/24/2016 at 06:21 PM