美麪包師建成世界最大薑餅屋 打破吉尼斯紀錄
據路透社12月7日報道，在聖誕節來臨前夕，得克薩斯州的麪包師烤制並堆砌出巨大的薑餅屋，打破了吉尼斯世界紀錄，也爲節日增添了甜蜜的氣氛。
麪包師將黃油、紅糖、普通麪粉、姜粉和其他作料混合後烘烤成塊，然後將這些香噴噴的可食用麪包塊與糖衣和糖果一起安裝到木架上，建造成巨型薑餅屋。爲了讓薑餅能更好地面對惡劣天氣，麪包師儘可能減少黃油和小蘇打用量。到目前爲止，它已經受過得克薩斯陽光和幾次風暴的考驗。
這座薑餅屋的覆蓋面積達2520平方英尺（約234平方米），大小接近一個網球場，高21英尺（約6.4米）。吉尼斯世界紀錄已經宣佈這是目前世界上最大的薑餅屋。
Holiday cheer in Texas has become even sweeter thanks to a giant gingerbread house that has broken a world record for confectionary construction.
Coming in at 35.8 million calories and covering an area of 2520 square feet, or nearly the size of a tennis court, the 21-foot high gingerbread house in Bryan, Texas, 90 miles northwest of Houston, has been declared the biggest ever by Guinness World Records.
The house, with an edible exterior mounted over a wooden frame, was built by the Traditions Club near Texas A&M University to help raise money for a trauma center at the regional St. Joseph's Hospital.
"We think big around here and we are competitive," said Bill Horton, general manager of the club.
The Texas creation topped the previous record holder for gingerbread houses, a 36,600-cubic-foot model constructed in Bloomington, Minnesota's Mall of America in 2012.
The recipe is simple. Mix 1,800 pounds of butter (820 kgs), 2,925 pounds (1,327 kg) of brown sugar, 7,200 eggs, 7,200 pounds (3,266 kg) all-purpose flour, 1,080 ounces (31 kg) ground ginger and a few other ingredients, bake and form into panels for mounting.
The bakers tried to cut back on the butter and baking soda as much as possible to help the gingerbread better stand up to the weather.
The edible and aromatic panels, icing and candy were mounted over the wooden frame and have so far stood up to the Texas sun as well as a few storms.
"One problem we did not anticipate was bees on warm days," Horton said. "They have been coming over, getting so much sugar and stumbling around like they are drunk. But no one has gotten stung."
