In a medium bowl whisk together all-purpose flour ( 7 cups, 980grams), ground ginger ( 2 tablespoons), ground cinnamon ( 2 tablespoons), ground cloves (1 teaspoon).

TIP: If you plan on displaying your gingerbread house for an extended time (a year or so) I suggest using some white pepper (1/2 teaspoon) in addition to all the spices. Spices deter small insects for taking a bite from your beautiful gingerbread house.

Cream margarine (1 cup, 226grams) with granulated sugar (1 cup, 200grams) until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

Add eggs (2 whole, large eggs, at room temperature), one egg at a time and beat well. Then gradually beat in molasses (1 cup, 340grams) and beat until smooth, about a minute.

TIP: You can substitute molasses for corn syrup, either light or dark, or honey. Or use a combination of molasses, and corn syrup or honey.

At low speed, gradually, in 3 additions add flour mixture to the wet mixture.

Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead it for 30 seconds to a minute, until it comes together into a large ball. If the dough appears too crumbly, add 1tsp water.

I like to roll my cookie dough between 2 silicone mats or parchment sheets to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. I often lightly dust my work surface with flour.

Once I have all the cookie dough rolled out, I like to chill it for 40 minutes or so.

TIP: If you are not making house panels right away I recommend you tightly wrap freshly made gingerbread dough into a food wrap and place it into a fridge for up to 3 days. Let it soften a little before rolling it out.

It's best to cut the house pieces on the material you are using to bake them on, so you don't have to pick them up after they are cut.

When hand-cutting with a knife, I prefer to cut and bake gingerbread pieces on parchment to avoid cutting thru the silicone mat. I slide the parchment with rolled-out cookie dough onto a cutting board and I hand-cut cookies.

You can use this recipe to make molded gingerbread pieces. Dust texture mats with a little bit of flour before using. For deeper molds, such as skulls, I like to use a non-stick spray and freeze the mold with cookie dough and then unmold.

Bake construction gingerbread at 350F (180C) for 12-15 minutes or longer depends on the size of the cookies. I like to bake house panels until they are golden brown around the edges.

Larger pieces I often bake for 16-20 minutes.

While baking, sometimes little bubbles can form on top of the cookies. Using a toothpick, make a pinhole in the cookie, where the bubble appears to be forming, while still hot to deflate the bubble. You can also flatten the cookie with a wide spatula while the cookie is still hot.

When baking small pieces for your gingerbread centerpieces, you need to watch them carefully as they bake, they will be done in less time.

Cool the cookies completely before decorating.