The Comprehensive Home-Made Fondant Discussion: Making, Using, Storing

[Kerry Beal]

...

A good book for the theory of fondant and bob syrups in particular is "Making Chocolates" by Alec Leaver. It's an oldy but goody. Ignore the way he makes invertase and just buy some.

On the basis of your recommendation, I have just laid out almost $7 (US) including transatlantic postage.

I trust it'll be worthwhile!

Indeed - it is an inexpensive book. I pick up every copy I see!

[chocofoodie]

So, I made fondant yesterday (based on Grewlings recipe) and it turned out rock hard. I was aiming for a soft fondant, so didnt wait until it reached 117 degrees. This is not the first time I've made fondant, but I realised that I wasn't agitating it enough because usually I would stop once it became opaque, but it would still be runny. So this time I kept going. Now it's solid. I wet my hands and took a tiny amount and worked it in my hands and it did become more pliable. Should I continue and do that with all of it? Or will it have an adverse effect like it will develop mold or something?

[Kerry Beal]

So, I made fondant yesterday (based on Grewlings recipe) and it turned out rock hard. I was aiming for a soft fondant, so didnt wait until it reached 117 degrees. This is not the first time I've made fondant, but I realised that I wasn't agitating it enough because usually I would stop once it became opaque, but it would still be runny. So this time I kept going. Now it's solid. I wet my hands and took a tiny amount and worked it in my hands and it did become more pliable. Should I continue and do that with all of it? Or will it have an adverse effect like it will develop mold or something?

It's OK to work it to make it more pliable. If you have some invertase I'd knead in a bit and then when the fillings are in the mold (or enrobed) they will soften further.

[Chocolot]

If you put it in a plastic bag and seal it, it will soften on its own. You must have overcooked it.

[chocofoodie]

Thanks for the advice! I was worried that working it might be bad, like over mixing ganache or something. I don't know how I might have overcooked it, I took it off before it even reached 117, but maybe my candy thermometer is off.

[YWalker]

I'm planning on making some chocolate covered cherries for my Dad. For starters, I need to make some fondant.

I've been looking at Peter Greweling's Chocolates and Confections and Chocolates and Confections at Home as my reference.

In Chocolates and Confections, he specifies tabling the fondant and agitating it with a scraper after cooking.

In Chocolates and Confections at Home, he suggests that you pour the heated syrup in the bowl of your mixer and beat it with a paddle attachment.

Is one of these methods preferable to the other in terms of the finished product? Is it just the scale of the two recipe in Chocolates and Confections (which makes 53 oz of fondant) makes it impractical to use the mixer?

Edited October 20, 2011 by YWalker (log)

[Kerry Beal]

It's a whole lot easier on your arms to use the mixer!

[minas6907]

I dont think it has such a big impact on the product, its a matter of whats more accessible to the person making candy at home. Most people are going to have a mixer rather then a marble slab, so its just a way to make the same recipe that more people will be able to do practically at home.

[Chocolot]

Using the mixer will result it a slightly grainier fondant, but in cordials, it will dissolve anyway, so doesn't really matter.

[YWalker]

Thanks very much for the perspective. I was just wondering "What sane person would rather spend 20 minutes wrestling it into submission, when the nice KitchenAid mixer will do that for you?" However, as Chocolot noted, since it's all going to dissolve anyway, it looks like I can go ahead and take the easy way out.

Edited October 20, 2011 by YWalker (log)

[minas6907]

I personally still like the idea of using a slab, I just think its cool to make candy the way they did it 60 years ago.

[Kerry Beal]

I personally still like the idea of using a slab, I just think its cool to make candy the way they did it 60 years ago.

I totally agree - the first time I do it - after that I always try to find a less work intensive way - cause I'm essentially lazy!

[RobertM]

Someone told me I could use a food processor to make fondant, pouring the hot liquid into the bowl of the processor and then waiting for it to cool down to a specific temp (which I've forgotten) and then turn on the blade of the processor. It sounded like it would work, in theory. In reality, I burned up my wife's food processor. I know, I know, I need a Thermomix....

[CurlySue]

I made my first batch on the slab, then saved a bit and used it to seed my mixer batch. I did have to finish the mixer batch on the slab though as it never seemed to set up quite as well as the first, slabbed batch.

[YetiChocolates]

I personally still like the idea of using a slab, I just think its cool to make candy the way they did it 60 years ago.

I also agree that working it on the slab is my preferred method. Though I do remember it seemed much easier to muscle in culinary school then when I did it last winter...guess I better spend more time at the gym!

[cmflick]

I've made fondant using the recipe in Greweling at Home countless times with no problems. I cooked the sugar to 236F as per the recipe, but while mixing the fondant, it turned very dry and crumbly. I let it mature overnight before trying to make thin patties. When I tried to melt the fondant for thin patties it was very difficult to melt. It didn't start to melt until about 140F and at 170F was still way too thick to use. I couldn't push the temperature any higher since I wanted to add invertase.

Any ideas as to what happened to my fondant?

[minas6907]

You can add additional liquid at 160 f. Try thinning it out at that temp to a pourable consistency, and check the texture after they set up.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

[cmflick]

Thanks for the tip!

I figured out yesterday that my new candy thermometer is woefully defective. It responds very slowly to temperature changes and hence what I thought was 236F was more like 246F! I checked the thermometer vs. the an old thermometer and found that the new thermometer lags the old one as temperature rises by anywhere from 8 to 12 degrees. Once it reaches a constant temperature, e.g., boiling water, it's fine. I'm blaming the weird fondant on overcooking the sugar.

[Edward J]

Every year I get an order for 150 Napolian slices, and since it is for Swiss customers, they are very specific about how a "real" napolian slice should be.  This means among other things, it should be glazed with white fondant  and streaked with dark chocolate lines.

 

In previous years I could order fondant in 2 lb containers, now it is only available in 20 ltr (5 gal) buckets, waaaay too much for me to use, even in a year.

 

I figured what the heck, I'll make some.  Took a recipie out of P. Grewling's "Confections & Choc." and followed it all the way up to slapping it around with a spatula by hand for 20 mins on a marble slab.  Yes, I am lazy, and I was also seriously concerned about breaking the spatula, that stuff gets very stiff, even before it turns white.  I have seen commercial fondant mixers, kind of two marble wheels slapping the fondant around. I don't have one of those, but I do have....

 

I figured, what the heck, and scraped the whole mess into the 30 qt mixer with the paddle and let 'er rip on first speed until it stiffened up and turned white--10 mins. I put this in a bucket and let it "ripen" overnight.

 

Next day I heated some up with a bit of syrup, and glazed my puff sheets.  It behaved very nicely.  I put the napolian "logs" in freezer to firm up before slicing--the fondant behaved like a gentleman and did not weep or melt.  I saved some scraps and stuck them in the fridge for two days, the puff obviously sogged up and the cream filling dried a bit, but the fondant was still in great shape.

 

So why does Grewling insist on slapping the fondant around by hand when you can do it in a mixer?

[Mjx]

Maybe habit, or there may be the possiblity of overloading the motor in a mixer.

 

ETA, I've only made it by hand, so, yes.

[KennethT]

I have a friend who was a food scientist. One day, years ago, I needed a small amount of fondant, so she emailed me a page out of her textbook. The textbook advises to agitate the syrup on a marble slab with a spatula as well - but not by slapping. Instead it recommended moving the spatula through the mass in a vibrating, jig-saw fashion, scraping the marble as you go. It said that that was how to get the smallest grain size for the smoothest texture.

[Chocolot]

If you agitate the mass too fast, you will get coarser crystals formed. Now that you have some fondant, save some of it to seed the next batch. It is the friction that causes it to form crystals.

[prairiegirl]

i always use my bosch kitchen machine to mix it. Oh, check "chef eddy" website for a recipe and technique.

Edited July 30, 2014 by prairiegirl (log)

[Kerry Beal]

I'm a big fan of Chocolot's suggestion - using fondant to make more fondant.  I cook the syrup (called a bob syrup) to 115 or 118 C depending on the use - then cool down to about 60 C before adding the old fondant to seed the bob.  

[Edward J]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I still have some fondant left over, had a peek this morning and it is still very pliable and has a smooth, almost plastic mouthfeel to it.   It's been close to a week now since I made it, and have it stuffed in a 1 ltr honey pail and tight fitting lid.  I don't have much use for fondant, but now that I have made it, I'll be doing it again--in the 30 qt.

 

Thanks again, I'll be checking out the chef eddy site.