Salt dough is one of the basic crafting supplies we always have on hand. It is easy to make, no cooking, is inexpensive, and when dry, is quite hard and durable. We have some salt dough pumpkins in our gnome home that are 10 years old! Also, if stored in a tightly sealed container, like Ziploc, they can stay in the fridge for several weeks. Try this c once and you’ll make sure you’re never without it again!
Salt Dough Recipe Ingredients
- 1 cup salt
- 2 cups flour
- 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable/olive oil
- liquid or gel food coloring
Salt Dough Recipe Directions
Mix the salt and floor together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add 3/4 cup of water and oil.
Begin mixing with a spoon, then finish kneading with hands. If the dough is crumbly, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water until the dough stays together and is smooth.
We like to let our dough “rest” before we begin to work with it. This allows the salt to absorb more of the liquid and makes the dough less crumbly. Place the dough in a zip lock bag. Try to remove all the air from the bag. Let rest for at least an hour, but overnight is even better!
If you would like to tint the dough, make a well in the dough and add a few drops of food coloring. Skip this step if you plan to paint your finished sculpture.
Hand work the color into the dough. Add more food coloring until you reached the desired color.
Shape dough as desired. Salt dough will air dry in several days.
If you would like to speed up the process, place finished pieces on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat and bake at 200 F for 1 – 3 hours. The drying time will depend on how thick your pieces are. When they are dry they will have a slight chalky appearance. Remove from heat before the bottom starts to brown.
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