Gingerbread Church Template

Church pieces and measurements

The default church has a nave 5 in12.7 cm wide and 7 in17.8 cm long with 4 in10.2 cm walls and a 50° roof. In front stands a tower 2 in5.1 cm square and 8 in20.3 cm tall, topped by a spire that rises another 4 in10.2 cm. It takes about 3.2 lb (1.5 kg)1.5 kg (3.2 lb) of dough.

The spire is four identical triangles. Their height along the slope is √((w/2)² + spire²), 4.1 in10.5 cm here, which brings the four tips together in one point above the middle of the tower.

How to use the church template

A church has more pieces than a house, and some are tall and narrow. A little order in the kitchen helps.

1. Choose the size. The tower and spire heights are under Customize size; a shorter tower and spire turn the church into a small chapel.
2. Print at 100% and check the 2 in (5 cm) line on any sheet.
3. Bake the nave pieces on one sheet and the tower and spire on another, so the narrow pieces are easy to trim against their patterns while still warm.
4. Chill the cut tower sides before baking. Chilled pieces spread and puff less, and a tall, thin piece shows spreading most.

The nave roof has no overhang at the front. That is on purpose: the tower stands flat against the front wall.

How to assemble a gingerbread church

Build the church in three parts, the nave, the tower and the spire, and join them once each part has set. Nothing tall needs propping that way.

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. Build the nave like a house: stand the front wall and one side wall on the board, add the other side wall and the back wall, and prop them with cans or jars. The side walls fit between the front and back walls.
7. Let the walls set for at least 30 minutes, an hour if you can, before the roof goes on.
8. Ice on the roof panels. They line up with the front wall, with no overhang there, so the tower can stand flat against it. Fill the gap along the ridge with icing.
9. Put the tower together as a box on the work surface: the front (with the door) and the back outside, the two sides between them.
10. Ice the four spire triangles together on the work surface, edges touching at the top. Let the tower and the spire set.
11. Stand the tower against the middle of the front wall and ice it in place, then set the spire on top.
12. Ice the door to one side of the opening so it stands slightly open.
13. Let the house dry for a few hours or overnight before you decorate.

What you'll need

The tower and the spire

The tower is a box built like the house walls: the front, with the arched door, and the back go outside, and the two sides stand between them. Put it together on the work surface, not against the nave, and let it set before you move it.

Join the four spire triangles the same way, edges touching at the top. Royal icing takes 2 to 4 hours to set fully, sometimes up to a day. Set the spire on the tower only when both feel firm, then stand the tower against the middle of the front wall.

Stained glass windows

Tall arched windows along the nave are made for candy glass. Bake the pieces, fill each opening with about a teaspoon of crushed fruit-flavored hard candy, and bake them 2 to 3 minutes more, until the candy melts. Let the pieces cool on the baking sheet before they come off.

You can also melt the candy in the microwave in short bursts and pour it into the openings with the pieces lying on parchment. Set Windows to Lots for four windows on each side of the nave.

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