Gum paste - fine flower paste - recipe

Gum Paste - fine flower paste.
6 tsp regular cmc or tylose powder (28g) eg cakecraft or 4 tsp (18g) Strong tylose eg rainbow dust. If unsure start with 4tsp add more if needed.
500g pure icing sugar, sifted
70g hot water
4 tsp copha, crisco or other solid vegetable fat (25g)
2 rounded tsp corn syrup or glucose (20g)
1tsp cream of tartar (5g)
A drop of vanilla

Wipe over bowl and spatula with a small amount of fat, sift in dry ingredients, melt the remaining fat, measure syrup and hot water, add melted fat and vanilla to the liquids, pour the liquids into the dry mix, stir well. Lightly grease your bench and hands and briefly knead the icing. Place in a zip lock bag. Rest for and hour knead, rest for another ten minutes and the paste is ready to use.

Mexican paste has a long working time and still sets fast enough to make great flowers. Fine petals will go leathery and firm up after half an hour. (Depending on weather). Once dry the paste is strong and sets like porcelain, not at all flexible when dry. It holds up to humidity extremely well. And it rolls very very thinly.

I vacuum seal the paste in small lots and freeze them so I have it as I need it. When it defrosts it’s very sticky but comes together again beautifully after a quick knead.

*Special note: Different brands of Tylose/CMC are very different. I’m used to using the cheapest CMC I can find. The first time you make this recipe start with half to 3/4 of the recommended amount of tylose and add more as needed. Record the result for whatever brand you are using.