Rolling Fondant Balls With No Seams Or Cracks?
Decorating By mracker27 Updated 10 Sep 2013 , 1:10am by Jamese
I am forming characters out of fondant (for my first time) and am having a devil of a time getting my fondant balls to not have seams or cracks. People have suggested using shortening, which does nothing for the problem I'm dealing with. When I roll the fondant into a ball, there is a seam that won't go away no matter how hard I roll it in my hands. Has anybody else had a problem with this, and if so, what did you do to resolve the problem? I'm ready to give up!
Thanks!
sounds like it may be drying out on ya...
it helps me to smoosh/smear the fondant piece between my palms a few times (palms have been lightly rubbed with shortening) so that the friction along with the warmth of my hands heats up the piece a bit then, proceed to roll into a ball. I have the seaming issue when I've cut too many pieces ahead of time....
hth
Usually for me it helps if the fondant is a bit sticky, too much shortening or PS and the fondant will be dry and the seams can't blend. Warming it in the microwave helps too.
I think you're all right...my fondant seems a little dry. It was hard when I began working with it, so I put it in the microwave for a few seconds which softened it up a little. My seams aren't blending and I think it would help to have my fondant a little more sticky. Any suggestions on getting it stickier? I think I've been using too much shortening, thinking that was the problem...but it's not helping blend the seams.
Thanks for all your suggestions! I appreciate it!
I agree with icer101. Aine2 has a great video about it and it has to do with where on the hand you roll it.
I actually did watch the tutorial online that you're talking about. It's fantastic! I think where you roll the fondant in your hand makes all the difference in the world. I just think my fondant was too old for anything to make it work. Who knows? Maybe I'm just doing the whole thing wrong! 
You could also try wetting your hands just a bit and then knead and roll the ball of fondant. Use just enough water to get it sticky but not so much that it becomes a gooey mess. After it's smooth you can use shortening or powdered sugar while you continue working. hth!
You could also try wetting your hands just a bit and then knead and roll the ball of fondant. Use just enough water to get it sticky but not so much that it becomes a gooey mess. After it's smooth you can use shortening or powdered sugar while you continue working. hth!
That's what I thought too. Wet it down just barely, re-smoosh (technical word 
) and try rolling again.
Can anyone share more info on the youtube video? Do you know the name of it? I don't mean to sound ignorant, but I have been looking and can't find it! I can find her, and lots of videos (watched several of them!), but can't seem to find the one that addresses the balls. TIA.
There's a list of all of her tutorials on her site:
http://extra-icing.blogspot.com/search/label/HOWTO
For some reason there's nothing about how to roll a smooth ball 
(but I remember also watching it).... it must be included in one of the tutorials listed above.
I also mix a little tylose into my fondant. When you begin to work with the fondant make sure to knead it until it is soft. I don't like my fondant sticky. But find what ever works for you and go with it. I knead my fondant. Put just a little, very little! crisco on my hands and begin to roll. At first I use a fair amount of pressure, but as I continue to roll I lighten up on the pressure until I'm rolling with very little pressure at all and that helps me to get the ball perfectly smooth.
If you add too much crisco to your fondant/tylose mixture, You will definitely have problems with getting the fondant ball smooth, just as you will if you use too much powdered sugar or cornstarch.
Just keep playing with it and you will finally come up with a combination that works for you!
I was just having the same issue.. I popped it into the microwave for 5 seconds and added some fresh fondant to the ball. The issue was that I was using too much shortening and my seams were not blending. Once I put the fresh fondant to join the one I'd been massaging for at least 20 minutes, I now have a smooth ball..YAY>> Hope this helps...
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