Salt Dough Recipe - The Easiest Way to Make Salt Dough! (2024)

FAQs

What is the fastest way to harden salt dough? ›

Oven dry the salt dough pieces.

Instead of air drying the uncoloured salt dough pieces, you can bake them in a conventional oven at 93°C (200°F). The drying time depends on the thickness and size of the pieces. It can be as short as 30 minutes for small and flat pieces to several hours for bigger, thicker ones.

Mix together salt and flour. 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.

Making salt dough is a really fun and easy activity for kids and the chances are you will have all of the ingredients in the cupboard ready to go on a rainy day.

And with only three ingredients — flour, salt, and water — this simple salt dough recipe is the perfect intro to kitchen basics.

Salt dough is a malleable dough made with flour, water, and salt. Since it doesn't crumble or crack and it's easy to dry in the oven or microwave, salt dough is a popular DIY material for homemade crafts and ornaments.

If you find that your oven has the lowest temperature of above 150C then I would advise you to air dry your salt dough creations which will take considerably longer but will prevent the puffing up. It may also puff up if you have used self-raising flour instead of plain or all-purpose flour.

You can make them a few days before using them. Store them wrapped in plastic wrap and then in a zipper plastic bag inside the refrigerator. Before using them, make sure they are back to room temperature.

Why are my salt dough ornaments cracking? If your ornaments crack during or after baking, try adding a bit more water to the dough next time or cooking at a slightly lower temperature for a longer period of time.

The dough will last for a long time in an airtight container kept in the fridge. Mix the salt and flour together, and gradually add the water until the dough becomes elastic, then add the vegetable oil. If the mixture is too sticky, add more flour, if it's too dry, add more water.

Water – slightly warm to the hand water we have found works best for this recipe.

What happens if I dont put salt in my dough? ›

Without salt, your dough will rise faster than it normally would, leading to less flavor development and a weaker structure. To incorporate the salt, mix it with a few teaspoons of water.

STIR: This method is the simplest, as it involves mixing all the ingredients together with a utensil, usually a spoon, using a circular motion.

If you preserve your ornaments properly, salt dough can last for years. I have some dough ornaments from my childhood, so they would be at least 35 years old.

We do recommend sealing them when they are finished painting. You can seal with either a mod podge or a clear glaze spray.

Once you have created with the salt dough and baked it, you can paint it!

Fat – whether from butter, eggs, or milk – tenderizes dough by coating and shortening the gluten strands. This creates a softer crust and more tender crumb than a lower fat alternative. Fat also slows down yeast activity, requiring a longer fermentation time that helps to develop lots more flavor.

Carbon dioxide is responsible for all the bubbles that make holes in bread, making it lighter and fluffier. Because gas is created as a result of yeast growth, the more the yeast grows, the more gas in the dough and the more light and airy your bread loaf will be.

How long does it take for salt dough to bake until dry? The thicker and wetter the dough, the longer the amount of time it takes to dry. For 1/8” to 1/4” thick dough, it can take 3 to 6+ hours. However, you don't have to leave you oven on the entire time.

Ingredients in Salt Dough

To make this recipe, you'll need: table salt. all-purpose flour.

Don't double the spices right away

Tip: when doubling spices in a recipe, start by multiplying by 1.5 at first. Things like salt, cayenne, pepper, etc, can get too strong if they're outright doubled. (For example, if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon salt, add 1 1/2 teaspoons instead of 2 when doubling.)

How do you transfer a picture to salt dough? ›

Once the dough was cooled, I printed out a photo on plain paper and grabbed my Image Transfer Medium. I applied a generous amount of the Image Transfer Medium to the print side of the image. I then flipped it over and laid it over the hardened salt dough craft from earlier.

You can paint a coat of glossy decoupage glue over the entire ornament to seal and protect it, and to give it a shiny finish. You can also spritz it with a light coat of polyurethane spray. Both methods, along with the salt acting as a natural preservative, help to extend the ornament's longevity.

Dough that is too thin may crack around the edges and dough that is too thick will definitely bubble.

Yes, you can make salt dough ahead of time, up to 5 day. Store it in the refrigerator in a completely air tight container or sealed ziplock bag.

Bake at 100°C for two hours. Turn the oven off but leave your creations inside so they continue to dry as the oven cools down. Leave for as long as you can – overnight is ideal. If you don't want to use the oven, leave your salt dough creations out to dry for a couple of days.

Modge podge works great as a sealer and you can also buy craft varnish (glossy or mat) to seal dough. On its own will last up 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.

Without using an oven the drying process will take 3-4 days depending on humidity. Plan to flip ornaments every 24 hours until dry.

The goal of adding oil to pizza dough is to improve the texture of the dough and flavor the finished crust. The oil will specifically: Making the dough softer will improve its capacity to stretch when rolled out. If you don't use any oil, the dough will pull apart and produce holes.

Ingredients: 1 cup flour (self-rising flour should not be used as it will cause the ornaments to bubble up while baking) 1/2 cup salt. 1/2 cup water (or more as needed)

You must use table salt in a salt dough recipe. It's the thinner salt available at the grocery store, which blends perfectly into the flour. Don't use coarse sea salt or Epsom salt. It won't dissolve with the water, and the dough will be grainy and not dry in the oven.

Can you reuse salt dough? ›

This isn't a salt dough recipe for Christmas only, though! You can make it and store it for a few months to play with. Let your creations air dry or bake when done or store it in a baggie to reuse in play over and over.

Now, you might be wondering why Tuscan bread is still made without salt. Well the reason is, tuscan food tone has very rich sauces that pair well with a simple bread lacking salt. A salt less bread helps you focus on the flavors of the dish, including topped with extra-virgin olive oil.

Salt acts as a yeast inhibitor, which means that it slows down the growth and reproduction of yeast in your bread dough. Without salt present to rein in its activity, the yeast will go wild eating all of the sugar available in the dough from enzymatic activity, like an overactive Pac-Man machine.

The straight dough mixing method is the simplest mixing method of all. It consists of only one step. You don't have to think much about this method, combine all ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix. While using this method, there is a possibility that the yeast doesn't get evenly distributed in the dough.

Salt Dough with Glitter

So many salt dough recipes call for food coloring, but I was not interested in getting fingers (and who knows what else) stained with food coloring during this craft. Instead of food coloring, I opted for glitter in our salt dough recipe. It was the perfect addition!

Salt dough ornaments should also be stored properly in a dry and well-ventilated area. They could become moldy if left in contact with moisture for a long time, for example, if hung on a cold, damp wall.

Cook them on high for three minutes, making sure you check on them every 20 seconds or so. If you overcook them, they tend to bubble up. As everyone's dough will be mixed differently and microwaves have different levels of power, please keep an eye on your creations when they are cooking.

Before baking the ornaments, press rubber stamps into the dough with holiday greetings, the year or even the names of loved ones. If you like to pay attention to every little detail, a fine-point marker is the perfect tool for the job (we like to use Sharpie Fine Point Permanent Markers).

Do you use plain or self raising flour for salt dough? ›

Ingredients: 1 cup flour (self-rising flour should not be used as it will cause the ornaments to bubble up while baking) 1/2 cup salt. 1/2 cup water (or more as needed)

There are three types of pastry dough in a classically trained chef's arsenal that should be known by heart. To the uninformed observer, these doughs may seem quite similar, even interchangeable.

Start with 1 cup flour and 1 cup salt. Add spices or other kitchen ingredients for color and texture. Slowly add up to one half cup cold water while mixing together to form a ball. It helps to knead the clay for several minutes.

My favorite way to bake salt dough is to put them in the oven, let the oven heat to 200, leave it on for about 20-30 minutes, then turn the oven off so the dough keeps drying in the residual heat for the 1-2 hours, or overnight if it's bed time.

If a recipe calls for self-raising flour it is doing so because it is relying on the raising agents in that flour to make the baked good 'rise'. If you use plain flour instead and don't add any raising agents you will most likely end up with a very flat, dense bake!