How to Make your own Gum Paste

Are you a thrifty baker and someone who would like to get more gum paste for your money. Well, by making your own gum paste, you can get over 4 lbs. of home made gum paste for the price of 1 lb. of pre-made gum paste. The following 6 easy steps will explain how.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 Tb. of gum tragacanth (such as Wilton Gum-tex)
• 4 C. sifted powdered sugar
• 1 heaping Tablespoon of glucose or Clear Corn syrup
• 4 Tb. of warm water

1. Sift 3 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl and mix gum-tex (gum tragacanth) into the mixture.

2. Place the 1 Tablespoon of glucose/corn syrup in a small bowl with the 4 Tablespoons of water and microwave on high for 30 seconds. If the glucose doesn't dissolve on it's own, stir the water/glucose mixture until it dissolves.

3. Make a well in the middle of the powdered sugar/gum-tex mixture and pour the water into the well.

4. Mix water mixture and powdered sugar mixture until all powdered sugar is mixed in completely. Mixture will be soft and sticky.

5. Store mixture for 8 hours at room temperature in a sealable container/bag.

6. After 8 hours, remove gum paste from container and knead the remaining 1 cup of the sifted powdered sugar into the gum paste. And now you are ready to make beautiful gum paste flowers. Have fun!!

Tips & Warnings

• What part of the gum paste that is not in use, should be kept sealed tightly to prevent it from drying out.
• You can add a little shortening to your gum paste to keep it soft and pliable