Homemade Salt Dough

By

elizabet253

Use food dye.

By Roberta in hot Florida (Guest Post)

If you brush your salt dough with a little water before you bake them, they will get browner.

By

KoiFlowers

Just a tip. One year I spent several hundred hours making salt dough bowls and plates decorated with raised elephants, lions, etc. I painted them with craft paints and they were really beautiful. However, salt dough will not last unless you seal the finish. It will absorb moisture from the air and become soft, and even mold. I brushed polyurethane on several items, and was shocked when it completely ruined the painted finish. Spraying items with fast drying clear acrylic, sold along with the craft paints works great every time and the more coats the better (5 is best). Another tip is to paint the baked salt dough with gesso before painting with the craft paints - for a much nicer finish.

By

jeannette1940

This is the receipe for HOMEMADE SALT DOUGH



Salt Dough

2 cups of salt
2/3 cup water
1 cup cornstarch
additional 1/3 cup COLD water
and acrylic paint or food coloring

Place salt and 2/3 cup water in small saucepan and heat until quite warm.
Remove from heat. Mix cornstarch and COLD water together, add to salt
mixture stirring constantly. Return pan to heat and keep stirring until
mixture forms a smooth mass. Turn out on a plate and cover with damp cloth
until cool. work in color as desired or leave natural. Covered (zip bag)
& refrigerated, Salt Dough will keep indefinitely.

Shape on foil covered cookie sheet and let dry (Several hours in a warm
oven or several days at room temperature). You can sand rough edges with an
emery board when dry.

By

Har'iet

I think what you are looking for is Baker's clay...I used it often for tree decorations...gingerbread men were the children's favorite and they helped make and paint them too:) :

Baker's Clay:
INGREDIENTS:
4 c. unsifted flour
1 c. salt
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 c. slight warm water

DIRECTIONS:
Combine salt and water in bowl. Stir to dissolve salt.
Add flour gradually, mixing with hands.
If dough is too stiff, add more water, a little at a time.
Remove dough from bowl and knead 4-6 minutes. Dough should be warm, soft, and elastic, with no grimy feel.
Shape into desired ornaments or mushroom shapes for plaques, etc.
Press dough through strainer or garlic press for strings, grass, hair. To add pieces for eyes, cheeks, hair, moisten with water before putting in place.
Remember to make a holes for hanging ornaments or insert 1/2 paper clips or ornament hangers in soft dough.
Bake in pre-heated oven 350 degrees for 1/2 to 1 1/2 hours or more, depending on thickness of the piece. It should be hard and brownish when done.
Lift from sheets with spatula and cool on racks.
Options: Brush with evaporated milk before baking to give a glaze and slighter browner color.
Paint with acrylic or water color or poster paints or food coloring.
Spray with a clear polyurethane to prevent softening.
Decorate with sequins, cloth, buttons, etc. if desired.
Hang on tree with string, ribbon or elastic cord.
Use dough within 24 hours (keep in refrigerator) or it becomes to hard or sticky.

By Karen (Guest Post)

I saw a lady on HGTV who appeared to be adding Hershey's cocoa powder to her ornament dough to make the color a little bit deeper.

By

Jilson

You can tint the dough using tea instead of water, or adding a little instant coffee to the water before you mix.