poppy seed muffins

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2 the fake food cookbook—companion website

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Why This Works — Smooth-On ® FlexFoam-iT! ® V is a two-part urethane foam that expands 11 times its initial volume and cures quickly. Mix equal parts by volume. It has a pot life of 50 seconds and cures in 2 hours. Use Universal ® Mold Release followed by Ease Release 2831 to release the urethane foam from most surfaces. Don’t use Universal Mold Release by itself, or any other silicone-based release agents. It will collapse the foam according to the Smooth-On ® website. If you use a Teflon ® -coated muffin pan, there is no need to use a mold release agent.

Show Application — These muffins were created for the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music’s production of Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. This recipe could be used for set dressing for Superior Donuts by Tracy Letts or any diner show like Bus Stop by William Inge or Spitfire Grill by James Valcq and Fred Alley.

Safety Precautions • Wear gloves and safety glasses when working with

Smooth-On® products. • Use in a well-ventilated area and avoid directly inhaling

mixing agents. • Read and follow all manufacturers’ instructions.

Tools • 8 oz. Plastic Mixing Cups • Wilson ® Muffin Pan • Fabri-Tac ® Permanent Adhesive, fabric glue • Tweezers • Stirring Stick • Nitrile or Latex Gloves

Ingredients• Smooth-On® FlexFoam-iT!® V

• Smooth-On® Universal® Mold Release aerosol spray and Ease

Release® 2831

• Bulls Eye® Amber Shellac

• Design Master® Glossy Wood Tone Spray

• Black Seed Beads

Spray muffin tin with mold release. Use Universal ® Mold Release followed by Ease Release 2831 to release the urethane foam from most surfaces. Don’t use Universal Mold Release by itself, or any other silicone-based release agents. It will collapse the foam. If the muffin pan is Teflon ® -coated, it won’t need mold release.

Smooth-On ® FlexFoam-iT! ® V is a two-part foam. It was used to create the muffins. Mix the parts by volume. Measure equal parts Part A and Part B into separate plastic containers filling each 1/3 full. The website suggests thoroughly pre-mixing (stir or shake) Part A and Part B separately before dispensing. For best results, the manufacturer recommends pre-mixing Part B with a mechanical mixer or drill before adding Part A

FlexFoam iT® V in muffin tin

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poppy seed muffins 3

into Part B. Once you add the two parts together, mix quickly and deliberately for a minimum of 15 seconds before pouring. Don’t forget to aggressively scrape the sides and bottom several times when you are mixing the parts together. Pour into mold carefully. Fill each muffin cup at least ¼ full. Don’t splash the liquid out of the container. Don’t delay between mixing and pouring. These materials cure very quickly. The pot life for this foam is 50 seconds and it will be completely set in 2 hours.

After 40 minutes, the muffins can be removed from the tin. The foam will completely set in 2 hours. After the foam is cured, apply a thin coat of shellac to give them a golden baked look. This should be done in a well-ventilated area. Experiment with diluting the amber shellac with denatured alcohol (1:2 shellac to alcohol) to paint the muffin. Build up glazes of amber shellac

Flex Foam iT®-V muffin out of the pan with a thin coat of shellac applied

on the bun. By diluting the amber shellac, you get the color of the amber shellac and by using thinner coats the shellac doesn’t build up, creating an encapsulated look. After the glazes of shellac are dried, Design Master ® Glossy Wood Tone Spray can be sprayed on to create more variation and definition.

After the shellac has dried, black seed beads can be added to the top of each muffin to look like poppy seeds. Roll the beads in Fabri-Tac ® . Use tweezers to move the individual beads and place on top of the muffin. Dust each muffin with Design Master ® Glossy Wood Tone Spray and amber shellac.

Completed poppy seed muffins

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