im trying to make flowers with mmf and they are really "floppy"...ive tried adding more sugar but my fondant still feels really soft....help

You need to use gumpaste for flowers not fondant, and you might consider purchasing some pre-made fondant if you're going to make more complex flowers. Either way, you can make a simple version of gumpaste by kneading in 1 tsp (or more if it is humid) of tylose powder to 1 lb of fondant. You can buy tylose online at cake specialty shops; it also is called CMC. It is a gum that will make the fondant dry faster and make it both more stretchy and and able to tolerate being rolled very thin (for delicate petals). Some flowers need to be build step by step, letting each part dry til firm, sometimes by hanging upside down, before you add the next petals. For other flowers, you make the petals first, let them dry, then join them together.

There are some good videos on youtube on making flowers - Tonedna has some good ones. And you might invest in some good DVDs too if you're interested in doing more with flowers. There are a lot of resources on this website and the web in general on making sugar flowers - google is your friend. HTH.

thanks deuceofcakes....i have watched youtube up the yingyang and figured i could give it a go. but it is not turning out and i didnt have gumpaste. but i guess i cant do it without...cheers

I make MMF, and have yet to have a problem with it. I use 8oz. mini-marshmallows, put that in a micro safe bowl with 2tbls. water. Micro high for 1 minute, stir to make sure it's all melted (if not, just put back in a few seconds at a time). In a larger bowl I put 1 lb. powdered sugar. Add the melted marshmallows, and mix. Turn it out onto a well powdered (powdered sugar) counter, (put a bit of shortening all over your hands so it doesn't stick to your hands) and kneed until mixed. I've used this to make roses, daisy's, characters, cali lilies...you name it. If too sticky, add powdered sugar. Too dry? Add a little shortening. Again, this recipe has worked for me since I've been working with fondant, and has been the only fondant I've used.

P.S. If you look at my photo gallery, all those decorations were made with fondant....none were made with gum paste.

My favorite medium for decorating a cake is fondant covering, and gumpaste flowers.
I use the Nicholas Lodge recipe for gumpaste.
I've seen Ron Ben Israel add tylose powder to fondant to make his flowers!

You need to add a little gum-tex or tylose to your fondant. I make flowers and toppers/numbers with fondant all the time. Rarely ever do I do gumpaste.

I've never added tylose or gumtex to any of my fondant and all of my figures and flowers held up fine.

Yes, you can make flowers without tylose or gumpaste, but the flowers will have to be simple ribbon roses or cutout flowers that are on the thicker side - i.e., flowers that will lay on the cake, not ones that have much loft or architecture, or flowers that look realistic at all. If you want to do flowers that are more complex or realistic, you're much better off with gumpaste or faux gumpaste (fondant + tylose, which works well). The tylose lets you get the petals thinner and shape them without breaking, and it dries faster than plain fondant. Once dry, the gumpaste versions are firmer than the fondant versions as well (the more tylose you add to fondant, the firmer it will be).

Also, if a flower is going to be eaten, then fondant is better, though fondant plus some tylose will still help you in shaping and drying. If it is decorative and won't be eaten, or if you plan to do any wiring of petals, then gumpaste is the way to go. It just depends upon what you're trying to do.

I almost always use the fondant + tylose mixture for flowers... I always have a container of tylose in my decorating kit! Especially if I need a colored gumpaste... I can just select from my collection of colored fondant scraps and add a little tylose and not to have to re-color gumpaste.

So, yes, I agree... if you are doing any kind of flower that has structure and you want to look life-like (and if you are watching Tonedna videos, I'm guessing this is what you are after)... you can really only do it with gumpaste or by adding tylose to your fondant.

I use tylose, too. I've also used Nicholas Lodge's gumpaste recipe- and that tasted good, but I usually don't plan ahead enough to let it refrigerate for 24 hours....so I will whip up a batch of mmf and add tylose for instant gum paste!