Bex’s Blog Takeover Week 9 - Salt Dough – Not just for Toddlers

Most of us have played with salt dough at some point in our lives. It’s simple to make, doesn’t cost much and is as adaptable as plasticine.

What many forget is it can also be baked solid to create beads, buttons and much more. You can use food colouring or natural stains to create different colours or just paint it once it’s fully hardened.

All you need is plain flour, table salt and water. I've decided to add some paprika to give it a little colour.

Pour out equal amounts of flour and salt, add a touch of paprika and a small amount of water. Time to get messy!

Start blending together the ingredients adding more water when needed.

Like baking it’s better to add small amounts of water until you get your preferred consistency. Unlike baking it’s not really a problem if you slip up, just add more flour and keep blending. Your dough should be dry to touch, soft and stretchy.

If you’re not sure what you want to make you can usually keep your dough in a sealed container in the fridge for about a week before it gets funky.

Once you’re ready you can start playing. You can use baking tools, sand or plasticine toys or just things from around the house. An example is using a glass bottle as a rolling pin. It’s weighted, smooth and easy to clean.

You can also use lids and straws as cutters, rollout bead shapes and pierce with a needle/pin use a pencil to scrape shapes. You are limited only by your imagination.

Once you are happy with your creations it’s time to dry them up. You have three options for that.

Air Dry – Takes a couple of days and requires a safe space. Good for learning patience.

Cooker – Pop into oven on a lined oven tray. Use the lowest temp and dry over several hours. Make sure you set an alarm so you don’t forget to check regularly. This is faster but time and temp will be different for every project.

Microwave – This is the fastest option. In 10/20 sec intervals blast your project until it is dry and solid. You can use a paper towel on top of your project to help capture the steam.

Be careful when using your oven/microwave. Always check with your responsible adult before using.

Cracks can appear during drying. Use some flour and water to create a paste and use this to fill any small cracks before painting. If you want to use without painting a thin layer of pva glue can help keep your project safe and strong for longer.

Next week will be our last Blog takeover and I’m planning something silly and fun for us all. I hope you have been enjoying these simple arts and crafts projects. See you next week. Bring Cake.