I am trying to learn to make my own fondant using the marshmallow recipe. I am able to get a nice feeling kneaded mass, but when I roll it out it has a sort of bubbly surface. Is there something I can do to get rid of that?

sift your powdered sugar......sounds like maybe yours had some lumps in it

I had this happen when I made homemade fondant recently. The bubbles only appeared on the side against the matt, so I'm not sure why that was. I rolled it out on crisco, then on nothing and still had it happen.

when kneading it by hand, squeeze , squeeze and squeeze some more. Don't pull and fold. That traps air in little pockets. Roll it out and if you see some bubbles still take a toothpick and barely pop the bubble in the center and smooth the air out towards the whole. I use a roul-pat so I roll it out and then pick it up and flip it over onto the cake. Therefore, the tiny little pinpricks I popped any bubbles with don't show because they are on the underside. Just be careful not to prick all the way through the bubble to the other side.

Your question is my frustration with MMF. I've made it several times, with perfect results, except one time it came out just as you described. Haven't had trouble since then. I don't know what went wrong with that batch, but it wasn't normal (and the bubbles never did come out, regardless of all that I tried). I ended up making a new batch, which came out great, and kept the bubble batch for decoration work.

I'm going to try Toba Garrett's fondant recipe and see if it's more consistent from batch to batch. I've heard several CCer's say that they've had similar issues with MMF, so I don't think you've done anything wrong!

Good luck - hope you can either salvage it or have better luck with the next batch!

Bec

Mine looked like bubbles that were already popped, all over the surface.

Texassugar- that is exactly the look I have had in the past too. Looks like the surface of the moon. I wonder if I stirred the melted marshmallows to much before I added the powdered sugar. Sometimes there are a few marshmallows that did not melt as well and I stir the ever-loven out of it to incorporate them in. Maybe we are whipping in to much air at that point?

The only other advice I can give is the sugar you use and the marshmallows you use make a HUGE difference. I never would have believed how much difference. The Great Value marshmallows you get in the purple bag at Wal-Mart work amazingly well. I also use the big 7 lb. bags of confectioner's sugar "chef's choice" or "baker's choice" I think. Those two by FAR are the best combo. I recently ran out of marshmallows and didn't want to go all the way to Wal-mart so I picked up two different brands at the grocery. Neither worked. Had to throw both batches out. By the same token, I recently used my wal-mart "great value" Marshmallows and the wal-mart "great value" brand sugar. It was usable but much more pitted than usual. Also it seems over microwaving can cause it to behave weird. Microwave just to the swelling point and then stir gently with a wooden spoon until liquified. Mix small amounts of sugar very well a little at a time. And, as backwards as it sounds....when mine is still a little poxed looking, i crisco my hands and add a coating of extra sugar and mix it in a little at a time and for some weird reason I totally don't understand it takes care of it 99 percent of the time. The fondant FEELS done and FEELS right but just adding that dusting seems to correct it. I only use MMF nothing else and would never go back to buying it. I can make a large enough batch to cover a cake for 25-30 people with one .99 cent bag of marshmallows, 3 Tbs. of free water and a couple dollars worth of sugar. I also recently quit adding the gumpaste. I now make my roses with mmf only and let them dry overnight. Then they are still edible and they hold up just fine. I just made a cake with an entire cat molded out of mmf with no gumpaste and it held it's shape beautifully and then the kids were able to eat it with the cake.

I have the same problem and was wondering what happened?  I teach cake decorating camps and this week we made a total of 12lbs. of the MMF and 3 of the 4 batches turned out great and the 4th batch was all pitted looking and seemed to tear more easily.  I am now curious about the different types of marshmallows!  I was using Wal-Mart brand marshmallows and powdered sugar but had to use another store brand for one of the batches.  Can't remember what was used for what...the kids were actually making it.  Hmmm...maybe I better stick to all Wal-mart and see if that clears it up.