How to harden gingerbread when it becomes too soft? (2024)

FAQs

How to harden gingerbread when it becomes too soft? ›

My suggestion is to put it back into the oven for up to 10 minutes. The temp of the oven should be around 325 degrees.

To achieve crispy, sturdy gingerbread, Lomas recommends letting the baked gingerbread pieces dry out for a day or two. Don't put the pieces in the refrigerator or keep them in a closed container, as this keeps the moisture in. “The longer it dries out, the easier it is to work with for construction purposes,” she said.

A 1:4 ratio of butter to flour makes the gingerbread strong.

You want your gingerbread firm but not burnt. It shouldn't be shiny on the top when you take it out. If you happen to underbake it and it's still a little too soft when you cut your pieces out, just put them on a cookie sheet and rebake for 2-8 minutes intil they harden up! 4.

Don't overbake them.

The cookies should still be slightly soft when you take them out of the oven. Most regular-sized gingerbread cookies will take 9-10 minutes, but you might need a little more or less time depending on whether your cookie cutters are small or extra large.

Transfer the dough, still between the two pieces of parchment paper, to a sheet pan. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours to allow the dough to firm up, and up to three days ahead.

Comments for How to harden gingerbread when it becomes too soft? Putting it back in the oven does not work you have to find a recipe that is harder as putting it back in the oven only over bakes it. My suggestion is to put it back into the oven for up to 10 minutes. The temp of the oven should be around 325 degrees.

Add more flour if the dough is wet. Place the dough in a sealable container or zip-top bag in a cool place for up to 2 hours.

You want to allow it to turn brown, but make sure not to burn it (otherwise it won't taste so great). Then take your gingerbread house pieces, dip the edges in melted sugar and hold them together for a few seconds. That's it! The sugar hardens quickly and creates an solid base for tons and tons of decorating.

Gingerbread biscuits can be hard or soft, so if you want to make decorations, you'll need a recipe that will set hard and be very dry. The drier the biscuit is, the longer the icing will keep its original colour and stay hard. If the biscuits are soft, the icing will start to suck up moisture and colour over time.

Why is my gingerbread puffy? ›

Too much butter made for sticky dough, but delicious cookies. I had to use a spatula to lift these people-shaped cutouts from my flour-dusted countertop and onto a baking sheet. The dough was sticky, which resulted in slightly swollen cookies, but the finished product was nearly perfect.

Tips For the BEST Gingerbread Cookies:

Add just enough flour to bring the dough together. Too much flour will make your cookies crumbly and dry. If your dough is too crumbly: mix in 1 tbsp of milk until the dough is soft and pliable again. Be sure to chill your dough for at least 3 hours.

The general rule of thumb is a couple of weeks. It depends how its prepared and if you used a lot of icing. Also, gingerbread like any other bread turns stale quite fast. Eating it after 1–2 week with tea shouldn't be a problem.

The toothpick test is one of the best ways to tell if gingerbread is finished baking. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or, preferably, with a few moist crumbs (but not wet batter).

Soft Gingerbread Cookies: FAQs

Store these cookies in a sealed container at room temp for 3-5 days (if they even last that long in your house).

If the gingerbread is very dense or heavy then it will most likely be a problem with the raising agent. First it is worth mentioning that bicarbonate of soda acts very quickly and as soon as it comes into contact with liquid, so you need to put the cake batter in the oven as soon as it is mixed.

There are a few things you can do to add liquid to your cookie dough if it is too dry and crumbly. One option is to add milk, water, or another liquid until the dough is the right consistency. You can also try adding melted butter or shortening. If your dough is still too dry, you may need to add more flour.

You want to allow it to turn brown, but make sure not to burn it (otherwise it won't taste so great). Then take your gingerbread house pieces, dip the edges in melted sugar and hold them together for a few seconds. That's it! The sugar hardens quickly and creates an solid base for tons and tons of decorating.

By that, I mean: the cookie dough can become sticky as you work. So, don't be scared to add more flour to the work surface. The flour spots on top of your shaped cookie dough will bake off.