Cortante De Galleta Arbol De Navidad Encastrable

Spanish bakers call this style encastrable, meaning slot-together, and the word does most of the explaining. Rather than another flat gingerbread tree lying on a plate, the shapes are cut so that the baked pieces assemble into a Christmas tree that stands up on the table. It belongs to the fortnight before Christmas, when the kitchen is already turning out trays of gingerbread and shortbread and somebody wants a centrepiece instead of one more batch of stars. Children take to the assembly step, which turns decorating into a small build and buys a parent twenty quiet minutes. Anyone baking for a school fair, a market stall or a family table will recognise the appeal: a familiar seasonal silhouette with a bit of theatre attached at the end. Firm doughs such as gingerbread suit the job best, since the pieces need to keep their edges once they come out of the oven.