The Gingerbread Queen

Interview with Nikki Wills
Photos courtesy of Tikkido.com

Baker and cookbook writer Nikki Wills discusses her love of making gingerbread properties and reminisces about her ride on Meals Network’s Vacation Gingerbread Showdown.

How did you safe started baking gingerbread properties?

My mom began making them after I used to be an baby utilizing a published recipe by primitive White Dwelling govt chef Hans Raffert. It makes good-wanting, hardy gingerbread that’s best seemingly for establishing all forms of gingerbread creations. Around Thanksgiving every yr after I used to be increasing up, my mom and I’d inaugurate making gingerbread properties for ourselves and our guests and family, including my classmates and my dad’s fellow engineers on the Air Pressure Institute of Skills; she would construct me wait till Christmas to appreciate mine. I personal many fond recollections of these times.

When did you first bake gingerbread for your personal?

I began to fail to see gingerbread while studying for my first-semester finals at Vassar College. I requested the faculty if I would perchance exercise the mixer within the eating corridor and used to be advised that the pastry kitchen wasn’t old vogue on Sundays. I used to be granted the dash of the full facility, including the massive mixers and expert ovens. Using my mom’s recipe, I made a gingerbread home that my guests and I decorated; I also proficient every of my professors their very personal home.

What are your pointers for making gingerbread properties?

The dough wishes to be thick and durable, and likewise you shouldn’t shuffle through mixing it. It also helps to personal a first charge mixer. I take care of my 13.5-liter expert one—I will put collectively a triple batch of dough in it.

When assembling a gingerbread home, it’s priceless to keep the walls up first, pipe your icing to rep them, and let them air-dry in a single day so they’ll be extra sturdy; that you would perchance then keep your roof on the next day. Royal icing is indispensable for establishing gingerbread properties in consequence of because it hardens, it glues every part collectively. Royal icing is always made with raw egg whites, but you’d furthermore replace powdered egg whites, meringue powder, or aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas.

You moved from the US to St. Albans, England, about a years ago. What impressed you to construct gingerbread likenesses of the pubs there?

The pubs are shimmering and encourage as family-friendly neighborhood dwelling rooms, so I desired to honor them in gingerbread safe. Plus, I like having an interpret gingerbread challenge to work on apart from my odd baking all the best seemingly procedure during the vacation season. For Christmas 2023, I made a gingerbread home of the Robin Hood Pub. It used to be later served on the pub all the best seemingly procedure through a mountainous gingerbread celebration, which I actually favored—particularly since I didn’t personal to appreciate all that gingerbread myself. [Laughs]

What used to be it take care of competing on Meals Network’s Vacation Gingerbread Showdown?

Terrific, particularly in consequence of my mom used to be my baking accomplice. We competed against two other opponents in nine total rounds—we obtained the tasting subject but at final lost. We each had a blast, even though the competition’s chaos and time constraints had been now not easy. I always like myself when making gingerbread properties. It’s now not easy to personal a immoral time while making a predominant cookie home and adorning it with loopy portions of candy.

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