美面包师建成世界最大姜饼屋 打破吉尼斯纪录

据路透社12月7日报道，在圣诞节来临前夕，得克萨斯州的面包师烤制并堆砌出巨大的姜饼屋，打破了吉尼斯世界纪录，也为节日增添了甜蜜的气氛。

面包师将黄油、红糖、普通面粉、姜粉和其他作料混合后烘烤成块，然后将这些香喷喷的可食用面包块与糖衣和糖果一起安装到木架上，建造成巨型姜饼屋。为了让姜饼能更好地面对恶劣天气，面包师尽可能减少黄油和小苏打用量。到目前为止，它已经受过得克萨斯阳光和几次风暴的考验。

这座姜饼屋的覆盖面积达2520平方英尺（约234平方米），大小接近一个网球场，高21英尺（约6.4米）。吉尼斯世界纪录已经宣布这是目前世界上最大的姜饼屋。

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."