Interview with Nikki Wills
Photography courtesy of Tikkido.com
Photography courtesy of Tikkido.com
Baker and cookbook creator Nikki Wills discusses her like of making gingerbread homes and reminisces about her trip on Meals Network’s Vacation Gingerbread Showdown.
How did you obtain began baking gingerbread homes?
My mother began making them after I became as soon as an toddler the use of a broadcast recipe by ancient White Dwelling executive chef Hans Raffert. It makes delectable, hardy gingerbread that’s ultimate for constructing all forms of gingerbread creations. Around Thanksgiving annually after I became as soon as rising up, my mother and I would open making gingerbread homes for ourselves and our chums and family, including my classmates and my dad’s fellow engineers at the Air Force Institute of Technology; she would manufacture me wait unless Christmas to appreciate mine. I’ve many fond memories of these cases.
When did you first bake gingerbread for your beget?
I began to miss gingerbread whereas finding out for my first-semester finals at Vassar College. I requested the college if I could perhaps use the mixer in the dining hall and became as soon as educated that the pastry kitchen wasn’t veteran on Sundays. I became as soon as granted the proceed of your complete facility, including the wide mixers and reliable ovens. The use of my mother’s recipe, I made a gingerbread home that my chums and I embellished; I also talented each of my professors their beget home.
What are your solutions for making gingerbread homes?
The dough have to be thick and durable, and likewise you shouldn’t speed by mixing it. It also helps to have a honest mixer. I really love my 13.5-liter reliable one—I will prepare a triple batch of dough in it.
When assembling a gingerbread home, it’s precious to construct the walls up first, pipe your icing to rep them, and allow them to air-dry in a single day so that they’ll be further sturdy; it’s likely you’ll perhaps perhaps also then put your roof on the following day. Royal icing is significant for constructing gingerbread homes because because it hardens, it glues the total thing collectively. Royal icing is in overall made with raw egg whites, but it’s likely you’ll perhaps perhaps also additionally substitute powdered egg whites, meringue powder, or aquafaba, the liquid from a can of chickpeas.
You moved from the United States to St. Albans, England, just a few years ago. What inspired you to fabricate gingerbread likenesses of the pubs there?
The pubs are lovely and support as family-pleasant community living rooms, so I desired to honor them in gingerbread create. Plus, I revel in having an elaborate gingerbread project to work on besides my celebrated baking at some stage in the scuttle season. For Christmas 2023, I made a gingerbread home of the Robin Hood Pub. It became as soon as later served at the pub at some stage in a big gingerbread celebration, which I really liked—especially since I didn’t have to appreciate all that gingerbread myself. [Laughs]
What became as soon because it love competing on Meals Network’s Vacation Gingerbread Showdown?
Terrific, especially because my mother became as soon as my baking accomplice. We competed towards two other opponents in nine complete rounds—we gained the tasting arena but at final lost. We both had a blast, even though the opponents’s chaos and time constraints were robust. I repeatedly revel in myself when making gingerbread homes. It’s laborious to have a defective time whereas making an wide cookie home and decorating it with loopy portions of sweet.
For more data, gallop to tikkido.com
