Royal Icing Basics - Gingerbread House Series

[@alv7990]

Hi again :) Hope all is well. All my pieces are baked and now ready to assemble the house. I can't seem to find gum Arabic anywhere and there is no time for me to order online. I found Xanthan gum at my natural food store. Can I use this as a substitute. Know that the structure is not very high about 30 cm or so and they are all relatively small to medium size pieces w plenty of support. Any insight would be greatly appreciated! Merci! :)

[@WickedGoodies]

If you can't find gum arabic, just omit it. It's an optional ingredient anyway. I would avoid xanthum gum. It's not a direct substitute and is very likely to make your icing grainy.

[@alv7990]

Thank you!!

[@jimmuse7829]

Are there any significant changes in consistency or quality if I use meringue powder instead of egg white in my royal icing?

[@WickedGoodies]

Not that I know of. I suspect meringue powder would in fact perform more consistently than a raw egg white.