Salt dough
Three kitchen ingredients to model leaves, mushrooms or little creatures, painted once dry.
Age : age 3+; the oven is for the grown-up
Materials
- 2 cups of flour : Ordinary plain flour.
- 1 cup of fine salt : Coarse salt leaves grains.
- 1 cup of lukewarm water : Pour it in little by little.
- A mixing bowl
- Rolling pin, cookie cutters, toothpicks : A fork and tree leaves to make prints.
- Baking paper and an oven tray
- Acrylic or poster paint : To decorate once completely dry.
Steps
Make and model
- Mix the flour and salt in the bowl.
- Pour in the lukewarm water bit by bit while stirring, then knead for 5 minutes.
- Good dough forms a ball that doesn't stick to your fingers: too dry, add a little water; too sticky, a little flour.
- Roll out 5 mm to 1 cm thick, no more: the thinner, the faster it dries.
- Cut, model, press tree leaves or forks in for texture.
- To hang it, poke a hole with a straw before drying.
Dry and paint
- Air-dry: lay the pieces on baking paper for 1 to 2 days depending on thickness, turning them over.
- Oven: the grown-up bakes them in a low oven (around 100 °C) for several hours. Thick pieces air-dry a little first so they don't crack.
- When the piece sounds dry and doesn't give under your finger, let it cool.
- Only paint once it's completely dry.
For coloured dough from the start, add a few drops of food colouring to the water.
If it goes wrong
- Dough crumbles : Add water with wet fingers and knead again.
- Dough is sticky : Flour the work surface and knead.
- Puffs up or cracks in the oven : Lower the oven, air-dry first, make it thinner.
- Goes soft after a few days : Store somewhere dry; a coat of varnish protects it.
Safety
- Salt dough is very salty: don't taste it, and it's dangerous for dogs and cats that might eat it.
- The oven and hot tray are for the grown-up.