This article was co-authored by Emily Margolis. Emily Margolis is a baking entrepreneur in Baltimore, MD. With over 15 years of baking experience, she founded Baking with Chef Emily in 2018, offering private baking lessons in the D.C. area.
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Your kids will love playing with salt dough — and helping you make it too! Salt dough is fun to make and easy to create with. Let your little Michelangelo's imagination run wild as they sculpt and cut shapes out of the dough.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (201 g) salt
- 3⁄4 cup (180 mL) water
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegetable oil
- Food coloring (optional - see "Tips" for suggestions)
Steps
Making the Dough
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1Pour 2 cups (256 g) of flour into a large bowl. Add 1 cup (201 g) of salt, 3⁄4 cup (180 mL) of water, and 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of vegetable oil bowl. Stir thoroughly until all of the clumps have been removed from the mixture. It should gain a doughy consistency.[1]
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2Pour the dough onto a flat surface, such as a cutting board. Knead the mixture with the heels of your hands. Press, fold, and rotate the dough with your hands until it is smooth and thick.[2]Advertisement
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3Add food coloring or glitter (optional). Make several batches in different colors. Color can be obtained easily using food coloring available in cake decorating supplies. Glitter adds a lot of pizzazz to the dough.[3]
- Edible colors include chocolate powder, coffee, spices, beetroot water, carrot juice etc.
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4Store your salt dough in an airtight container. It will keep for several days so long as the container is properly sealed.[4]
Making Decorations with the Dough
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1Mold shapes with dough by hand or with cookie cutters. Salt dough is a great way for kids to make easy holiday decorations. It is easiest as a beginner to start with flat objects before advancing to 3D figures with details. Layering details over the initial figure should only be attempted when you feel confident about making the initial shape.
- Use a rolling pin to flatten out the dough before you use cookie cutters.
- To prevent your dough ball from drying out while you are working on a smaller piece, place a damp towel over the ball until you are ready to use it.
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2Dry the decorations. There are several different ways that salt dough can be dried:
- Air dry your decorations. Choose a warm, dry place to let the figures dry. Place figures on a grill to permit air circulation. This method will take about one week and is only suitable for small, flat and thin figures.
- Air dry and use an oven. Allow for a little drying by air and then bake the figure in the oven for half an hour at 50ºC (122ºF). You can increase to 100ºC (212ºF) after the initial half hour if more time is needed.
- Put your decorations directly into the oven. Set the oven at 180ºF (82ºC) for about 10 minutes. Dry directly on the oven rack to ensure even drying over the entire figure.
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3Check the decorations continuously if you choose to dry them in the oven. You do not want to brown or burn the figure.
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4Tap the cooked figure. If it sounds hollow, and will not yield to your finger, it is ready. If not, dry it for a longer period of time. Dry it at a low temperature or air dry it to avoid browning it. Placing it in the oven more than once will increase the chance of your decoration cracking.
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5Decorate the figures. They can be painted once dry.
Other Ways to Use Dough
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1Create jewelry out of dough. Your kids can make inexpensive necklaces and bracelets that will look cute and stylish.
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2Make figurines out of dough. Shape the dough into the different components of something (such as a head, body, arms, and legs) then stick them together! In order to keep them attached, wet both parts that you would like to stick together.
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3Get crafty by making dough food. You can give dough food figurines to your kids to play house with, or decorate your fridge by gluing magnets onto the back of the dough shapes.
Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I eat hardened salt dough?
Community AnswerTechnically yes, but it isn't recommended. The dough becomes very hard and would probably damage your teeth. -
QuestionCan I use sea salt for this dough?
Community AnswerUse fine table salt for the dough if you want to get the best results. -
QuestionCan you use self-raising flour in salt dough?
Community AnswerAbsolutely! I actually found self-raising flour to work even better than normal flour!
Warnings
- This dough can be toxic to animals due to its high sodium content. Keep pets away from it.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Only use edible ingredients when toddlers are helping you to make it (i.e. no glitter or paint). Supervise the whole process to prevent attempts to eat the dough.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- Making salt dough is a messy process. Wear old clothes or an apron. Cover the areas that you are working on to protect the surfaces.⧼thumbs_response⧽
- The salt content can make it painful for those with cuts to knead.⧼thumbs_response⧽
Things You'll Need
- Bowl
- Measuring cups
- Mixing spoon or spatula
- Food coloring (optional)
- Glitter (optional)
- Paint (optional)
References
About This Article
To make salt dough, first, preheat your oven to 180 °F (80°C). Then, mix together 2 cups (255 g) of flour, 1 cup (200 g) of salt, 3/4 cup (180 mL) of water, and 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of vegetable oil in a bowl. Stir the mixture until it’s clump-free and doughy. Next, knead it with your hands to thicken it up. Mold the dough into whatever shape you want, then set it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven 10 minutes to dry and harden. You can also set it out for a week to air dry. Your dough is dry when you can tap it without pushing it in at all, making a hollow sound. Store any leftover dough in an airtight container for up to a week. For tips from our Baking reviewer on how to make decorations with your dough, read on!
