How to Bake a Village of Gingerbread Houses

Before you begin, print and cut out the above templates so they are ready to use.

Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6

Put the sugar, syrup and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and bubble for 1-2 minutes, stirring until well combined. Cool for 10 minutes.

Tip the flour into a large bowl along with the spices and bicarbonate of soda. Add the cooled syrup mixture and the egg and stir together. Gently knead the mixture in the bowl until smooth.

Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.

Follow steps 2 - 5 for each gingerbread house you would like to make.

Roll out the dough approximately the thickness of a £1 coin on a floured surface and then cut out the pieces with a sharp knife – you will need to cut 2 pieces with each template. Transfer your pieces onto the baking trays, leaving space between them.

Next cut out the door and some windows with a sharp knife but leave the pieces in place for baking.

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the gingerbread start to brown on the edges. Recut and remove the window and door pieces immediately with the knife and leave the gingerbread on the trays for 10 minutes. Transfer the gingerbread pieces to a cooling rack to crisp up.

Fit a piping bag with a No.2 piping tip and spoon in some royal icing.

Decorate the house fronts with the royal icing, pipe the windows and door and any architectural details. Leave the icing to harden for an hour or two.

To construct the house, attach the 2 sides to the house front with royal icing, then attach the back panel. Leave this to set, and then attach the roof pieces. Use folded up kitchen roll to support the first roof piece before attaching the next. Now decorate the roof by piping some icing onto the tiles and add a covering of snow!

Tip: You may need to file the roof pieces down with the grater to ensure a snug fit.

Your gingerbread village is now complete!