Homemade Salt Dough

Ingredients:

• 4 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1-1/2 cups hot tap water
• coloring
• cookie cutters
• plastic utensils

Directions:

• Mix the salt and flour in a large bowl.

• Gradually add the water* to the dough as you mix until you have soft dough.

  * If you want colored dough, add a couple drops of food coloring to the water.

• Add extra water or flour if needed to create the consistency necessary for rolling out the dough.

• Once the dough is ready, roll it out flat to the desired thickness. 1/4 inch or so seems to work well. You can roll it out thicker but it will take longer to bake.

• You can use cookie cutters or plastic knives to cut shapes out of the dough. Carve features onto the shapes using plastic utensils and if you are going to use them as a hanging ornament, poke a hole towards the top before baking. Dip your cookie cutter in flower before using, it will make the ornament easier to remove from the cookie cutter.

• Bake the shapes in the oven at 200F until the dough has hardened completely. The cook time will vary depending on how thick the dough is.

• Once the shapes have been cooked they can be decorated with paints or markers.

• Then coat the shapes with varnish or polyurethane spray if you want to preserve them.

The dough can be stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container but is best if used within 24 hours.