Common Gum Paste
Ingredients
Directions
Make the paste
In a clean mortar, combine the very fine sugar and powdered starch.
Pound the mixture until well blended.
Add a little water gradually until the paste holds together.
When the paste breaks when pulled, it is done.
Store
Store the paste in a pot covered with a wet cloth.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Very fine sugar
- Provides sweetness and the bulk of the paste.
- Powdered starch
- Gives the paste body and structure, helping it hold its shape as it dries.
The step that matters
Adding the water. Water must be added gradually. Too much at once makes the mixture soggy and hard to bring together, while too little leaves it crumbly. Stopping when the paste holds together and breaks cleanly when pulled gives a workable dough.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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