Gumpaste Is Difficult To Work With
Decorating By 3inafternoon Updated 29 Apr 2006 , 3:55am by Birdlady
What did I do wrong? I made the Wilton Gumpaste recipe and the texture was comparable to super soft runny chewing gum. I addded more confect. sugar and could not get a consistency that I could work with. Everytime I tried to lift the flowers off the mat they would tear.
I would have said add more sugar, but if you already did that... What's the humidity like? Did you coat your surface with sugar and/or Crisco to prevent sticking? Otherwise I'm clueless, sorry. Would love to hear what the experts say.
All the best,
Bekah
Not being able to touch what you have, I can only guess that something might have been wrong in your measurements. Once you add the ps and knead the mix, the gum paste should be fairly firm, and not sticky.
It is important to put a thin brush of crisco on your work surface, you pin, and sometimes your fingers.
You may be rolling the paste too thin. Once you roll the paste, lift it off the surface and replace it before you cut. And, you can let the cut piece rest for a few moments to start to stiffen.
Good Luck and keep trying. It is really worth the effort.
did you use it right away??/ I find gumpaste works best when it is minimum 12 hour old and actually works even better at one week old.... If I knead some older gumpaste into the fresh gumpaste it helps but still I always let sit overnight.
I always use 50/50 or 75/25...Gumpaste and Fondant..
I like the texture of Fondant and the strength of Gum paste..and I find that it works for me.
If my paste is still a bit too tacky, I will let it "rest" in the fridge for a few hours.
If it is still tacky..take a bit of cornstarch on your fingers and knead it into the ball of paste you are going to use. Not too much..but you will be able to feel the paste "tighten" as you work that starch into it.
Make sure your board has a thin layer of shortening on it, where you roll. Once your paste is rolled pick it up and place it on the opposite side of your board, that has been lightly dusted with cornstarch.(Itake a bit on my finger and dab it on the board.) Then use your cutter.
You want your paste to be thin for flowers..like roses..the petals should be thin...practice...your paste should be thin enough to almost read through..
I made gumpaste for the first time a few weeks ago. I used the Wilton recipe. However, I noticed that their cans of gum-tex and glucose had different recipes. One said to use one tablespoon of gum-tex, the other said to use one teaspoon of gum-tex. I emailed them; they said the recipe on the gum-tex can is the correct one. Marketing is aware of the problem and is fixing it. The recipe on the gum-tex can is the correct one. I don't know if this is your problem or not, but check it out.
HI All!
I am not an expert on making the stuff, but my teacher from the U.K is in my opinion. I use the recipie on Nicholas Lodge's website. It always turns out wonderful. It makes the best flowers. I now live in Texas and humidity is always a concern. Never had a problem with it .
http://www.nicholaslodge.com/gumpaste.htm
Here is the website and the recipie.
Best luck
Dawn
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