Video:How to Color Fondant

Transcript:How to Color Fondant

Hi, I'm Elizabeth LaBau with About.com. Today I'm going to show you how an easy way to dye fondant and get smooth, consistent colors without a big mess.

Ingredients for Coloring Fondant

To dye fondant, you will need:

• White fondant
• Gel food coloring of your choice
• Powdered sugar
• Toothpicks (optional)
• And food-safe gloves. If you have gloves, put them on before you begin. The gloves aren't a necessity, but they will save you from having Technicolor hands the rest of the day, so I highly recommend them.

Use Enough Fondant

Start by dusting your work surface and hands with a little powdered sugar. Then, begin kneading the fondant like bread dough, until it is soft and supple. You'll want to use a little more fondant than you think you need, because it's almost impossible to match colors after the fact. It's better to color a little extra fondant than to find out you're short and have to try to match that color later.

Add Color to Fondant

Once your fondant is smooth, shape it into a disc and make a shallow indentation in the center. If your gel food coloring comes in a tub, the easiest method is to dip a toothpick in the color and dot it inside the indentation in several places. It's easy to darken the color later, but difficult to make it lighter, so it's best to start small and add just a little color at first. If your gel food coloring is in a squeeze bottle, all you have to do is squeeze a drop or two of color into the center of your disc.

Work Color Into Fondant

Fold the fondant over itself so that the coloring is in the middle of the fondant ball, and start kneading again. After just a few moments, you'll start to see the color streak through to the outside of the fondant. Continue kneading until the color is well-distributed and the fondant is a uniform, even shade. At this point, you might decide that you want your color a little darker. If so, simply repeat the same process of forming the fondant into a disc, making a center indentation, and adding a few more drops of gel food coloring. Knead the fondant again until your new batch of coloring is completely mixed in. Once you're happy with the color, you can use the fondant immediately, or wrap it for future use. To store it, wrap it tightly with cling wrap and roll the wrapped package of fondant with a rolling pin to remove excess air, and your fondant is all ready to be used at a later time. You can use this simple method whenever you need to color fondant.

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