I've made my own gum paste once and I had a couple of problems. I sifted my powdered sugar but my gp was still very lumpy and I had to go back through it and take out all the sugar bumps by hand. I have this same problem with the mmf that I make and I'm wondering if I've done something wrong. I follow the recipe on the back of the wilton gumtex can. Also, my gp seems the be soft. Is it supposed to be really soft? if I roll it out with even a tiny bit of crisco it is even softer. It makes it hard to do roses (I think, I'm not good at them anyway, so maybe it's just me). Help anyone??? It's such a pain.
Well, the only thing i can think of off hand is that you need to cover (coat with crisco first) your paste with scran wrap real well after making it, so that it doesn't dry out. IF your paste is too soft then add more powdered sugar.
The other thing i suggest is to buy some premade so that you can get the feel of it. Then it should be easier to make your own. Wiltons pre made gumpaste is really quite good, just make sure that you can squeeze the bag a bit before buying. Its reasonably priced too.
I always make my own gumpaste. I have never experienced the lumps of powdered sugar, so maybe double sifting would work for you. As far as the paste being soft, mine is also soft ( I also use the recipe on the back of the gum tex can) I prefer to gumpaste to be on the soft side, as when I make my flower petals they don't crack and I can get them very thin. If when working with a piece I find it too soft, I knead in a little additional powdered sugar at a time, but only to the piece I am working with. When making roses, with the softer gumpaste, I hang them upside down to dry, and this keeps the petals from flopping down. Please let me know if you have any more questions
I've never had a lumpy sugar problem. Are you sifting it onto your work surface, then kneading it gently into the gumpaste?
Sometimes gumpaste is pretty sticky right after it's made. I've never made the recipe on the gumtex can, but I have made the Wilton mix. Just keep kneading in the recommended amount of sugar. After that, do not add more sugar. Let it rest for a couple of hours. If it's still sticky, knead in a little bit of Crisco.
Peg's advice of buying premade to get the feel of it is an EXCELLENT idea!
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