How to Make Salt Dough | Baking Mad (2024)

FAQs

How to Make Salt Dough | Baking Mad? ›

If it's too stiff, add a little more water, about 1 tablespoon at a time.

If it's too stiff, add a little more water, about 1 tablespoon at a time.

If you have thin ornaments for the tree then in the oven they may only take an hour or two. However, if you are drying something thicker like a sculpture or a candle holder then this will take much longer and it may be better for you to dry using the air drying method.

You want a ratio of one part salt and two parts flour. For making just a few little salt dough creations with your kids, one cup salt and two cups flour should be enough. If you want to prepare more, just increase the number of cups proportionally.

The great thing about it is that the salt dough sculptures will harden if you leave them out to dry at room temperature. Depending on the size of the pieces, it will take 2 to 7 days to dry completely. Turn the pieces from time to time for faster drying.

Once you have made or cut out what you want to make you can dry salt dough in two ways; Let it dry naturally. Depending on the thickness it could take up to 5 days. Dry it in the oven at 200 F / 90 C.

How do you know when salt dough is done? It will be hard to the touch but still light in color on the top. You want to make sure to cook them low and slow to prevent the outside from browning while the inside is still raw.

Any environment can cause salt dough to mold, even when extra precautions are taken.

Note: The dough should be soft and not too stiff or sticky. If it's difficult to work with, adjust the texture by adding a spoonful of water (if it's too stiff) or a spoonful of flour (if it's too wet or sticky) at a time.

Can you overbake salt dough? ›

If you overcook them, they tend to bubble up.

Place the salt dough on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and the firmly push down the hand, foot, key etc. to leave an imprint. Bake the salt dough in a preheat oven at 150°c / Gas Mark 2 for approximately 3 hours or until they are completely dry.

Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Stir the mixture with your spoon or with your hands until it forms dough. If your dough is too crumbly, add a bit more water. If it is too sticky, add a bit more flour.

You can let salt dough air dry or bake it, but microwaving it is the fastest way to dry the dough.

Salt provides flavor.

Generally, the correct amount of salt in bread dough is 1.8 to 2% of salt based on flour weight (that is, 1.8–2 pounds of salt per 100 pounds of flour). The lack of ability to coax fermentation flavor from bread sometimes causes the baker to use an excess of salt.

If the dough is crumbly or dry, just add a little more water. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes, making sure all the ingredients are well worked through. Fun Fact: Once you've made your salt dough, you can refrigerate it for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Now the dough needs to be dried. The quickest way to do this is in a microwave - roughly three minutes. Find a flat plate to place the decorations on. Try to choose shapes that are roughly the same thickness as they will cook in the same time.

If you find that your salt dough ornaments are still turning out puffy, then try an even lower temperature. Temperatures lower than 200 degrees F work just fine for baking your salt dough and result in less puffiness. Your ornaments will just take longer to bake and dry out at the lower temperature.

Mod Podge works great as a sealer and you can also buy craft varnish (glossy or mat) to seal dough. On its own will last for a long time without sealing too, if you handle it properly! Sealing will add a nice look to them though, especially if you want them to be glossy.