Hi there fellow baker, it sounds like you might be looking at the photo that shows a piece of cardstock underneath the Mylar plastic (the sun design). This is to illustrate how to make a sturdier stencil. It's not necessary to use both cardstock and Mylar plastic at the same time — as the author here mentioned, the stencil can become unwieldy if it's too large or thick. For most home-baking purposes, using cardstock alone should be just fine. In either case, lift the stencil up carefully after dusting the stencil and dough with flour or cocoa powder. We can't say for sure how long it takes Martin to makes his stencils; it varies drastically based on the complexity of the design. Often times we know what a design will be before we even start making the recipe. It's nice to give a hint as to what sort of ingredients are in the dough, so this can give you inspiration ahead of time. You can also wait until the dough is rising and make the stencil during that time to keep yourself busy. Your choice! Kye@KAF

• Reply