( 1 ) Ett Hem is a luxury hotel in Stockholm's Östermalm district, established by Jeanette Mix in 2012. Chef Tea Malmegård has been making a gingerbread version of the hotel since 2014.
QUICK QUESTION: The gingerbread house at Ett Hem has become an annual tradition. What does it add to the hotel over the holidays? “There’s always a lot of excitement when it arrives. It's as important as the Christmas tree! It brings in family values, becomes a conversation piece and reinforces our Christmas traditions, creating a sense of belonging and strengthening our bond with our guests." —Jeanette Mix, owner of Ett Hem.
The Tradition:Recreate Your Home with Gingerbread
The Tradition:Recreate Your Home with Gingerbread
I make the gingerbread house for Ett Hem in Stockholm.1 It’s always based on the hotel, but one year it might be more realistic, another more playful. I love to add all the charming little details: the street sign on the corner of the building, the little balcony, the Christmas lights.
How long a gingerbread house stays edible will depend on how clean your house is—sugary surfaces attract a lot of dust from the air. A couple of weeks over the holidays should be fine, but there might be a reason someone implemented the tradition of breaking our gingerbread houses on tjugondag Knut (20 days after Christmas).
GINGERBREAD DOUGH:
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
2 cups (700g) golden syrup
1¾ cups (400g) salted butter
3 eggs
9½ cups (1,200g) all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
2¼ teaspoons (10g) baking soda
1½ tablespoons (20g) ground cinnamon
1½ tablespoons (20g) ground cloves
2¼ teaspoons (10g) ground ginger
¼ teaspoon (1g) salt
ICING:
3 egg whites (90g)
3 to 4 cups (600 to 800g) powdered sugar
