A-Frame Gingerbread House Template

A-frame pieces and measurements

The default A-frame is 6 in15.2 cm wide at the base and 4.5 in11.4 cm from front to back, with a 60° roof that peaks 5.2 in13.2 cm above the board. That takes four patterns: the front and back triangles, the door and one roof panel you cut twice. It needs about 1.3 lb (580 g)580 g (1.3 lb) of dough.

Each panel runs from the ridge down to the board. Its slope is half the width divided by the cosine of the pitch, 6 in15.2 cm for this house, and it reaches 0.5 in1.3 cm past the triangles at the front and the back. There is no overhang at the bottom: the panels stand on the board.

How to use the A-frame template

The pitch shapes the whole house. At 45° the A-frame is a low tent; at the default 60° it looks like the letter A; at 70° it is tall and narrow, with long panels. The triangles get taller and the panels longer as the pitch goes up, so check the sheet count in the preview before you print.

1. Pick the width, depth and pitch, and set the dough thickness you will roll.
2. Print at 100% and check that the line on each sheet measures 2 inches (5 cm on A4).
3. Cut out the patterns. Cut both panels from the same sheet of rolled dough, so they come out the same thickness.
4. Cut around the patterns and lift the extra dough away rather than moving the pieces, so they keep their shape.

How to assemble an A-frame gingerbread house

An A-frame goes together faster than a house with walls: there are no side walls to line up, and once both panels lean together they hold each other.

1. Print the template at 100% (Actual size) and check that the line on each sheet measures exactly 2 in. Cut out the paper pieces.
2. Roll the dough on parchment to 6 mm (about 1/4 in). Lay the patterns on it, cut around them and pull the extra dough away rather than moving the pieces, so they keep their shape.
3. Cut out the windows and the door. Chill the cut pieces on the baking sheet before baking so they spread less.
4. Bake until the pieces are firm. While they are still warm, lay each pattern back on top and trim the edges with a sharp knife. Let the pieces cool completely on a flat surface.
5. Make royal icing with meringue powder or pasteurized egg whites and beat it to stiff peaks. Frosting is too soft to hold up walls.
6. Stand the front and back triangles on the board, 4.5 in apart from outside to outside, and prop them with cans or jars.
7. Pipe icing along the sloped edges of both triangles. Lean the first roof panel on them so its bottom edge rests on the board, and hold or prop it until the icing grabs.
8. Add the second panel the same way. The panels reach 0.5 in past the triangles at the front and back. Fill the V-shaped gap along the ridge with icing.
9. Ice the door to one side of the opening so it stands slightly open.
10. Let the house dry for a few hours or overnight before you decorate.

What you'll need

A roof that is also the walls

In a classic house the roof sits on four walls. Here the two panels lean on the sloped edges of the triangles and stand on the board, so they carry the house and keep the weather out at the same time. That changes a few things when you build.

• The feet of the panels want to slide outward. Pipe a line of icing on the board where each panel stands, and prop the panel from outside with a can or a jar until the icing holds.
• The steeper the pitch, the less the panels push sideways at the feet. If your first A-frame keeps spreading, try a steeper roof.
• The panels meet at their bottom edges along the ridge, which leaves a small V-shaped groove on top. Fill it with icing; it hides the joint and holds the panels together.

Decorating an A-frame

Since the roof is the walls, the windows go in the triangles: a round one above the door in front, and with Windows set to Lots, two more in the back. The panels are big, plain surfaces for candy shingles or rows of piped icing.

For windows that glow, fill each opening with about a teaspoon of crushed hard candy after baking and return the pieces to the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, until the candy melts. Let them cool on the baking sheet before you move them.

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