Salt Dough Recipe

Description

This is the basic salt dough recipe used for all of our homemade crafts using salt dough. We've made ornaments using cookie cutters, molds, stamps and more.
Salt Dough Ornament Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup salt
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon Alum (optional)
  • 3/4 cup cold tap water

Other Materials

  • Medium Bowl
  • Rolling Pin
  • Floured surface to work on
  • Generously floured cookie sheet to bake cookies on

Steps

  • In a medium bowl, place all dry ingredients, and mix to blend dry ingredients thoroughly.
  • If you are making colored dough: Add food coloring to half the amount of water (start with 8-10 drops) If the color is what you want, add the rest of the water and mix. If you want the color darker, add more food colouring to the remaining water and mix.
  • If the dough is sticky add more flour and if it is too dry add a little more water. The dough should be nice and smooth and will not separate when it is kneaded properly.
  • Roll out a quarter of the dough on a floured surface. Roll the dough as close to 1/4 inch as possible.
  • Use cookie cutter, mold, stamps or free form to make your project.
  • If you plan to hang your project use a straw to punch a hole in the cookie so you can later attach a ribbon.
  • Prepare cookie sheet with a generous layer of flour.
  • Place the cookies on the floured baking sheet and bake in warm oven below 200 degrees, most ovens have a warm setting for 2 to 3 hours. (Parent step only!)
  • Remove from oven, turn over and return to oven. Repeat at least 3 times.
  • Turn off oven and let cookies remain inside until cool

  • Decorate as desired.

Note

This baking process allows the cookies to dry slowly, if the oven is too hot they will start to brown and salt dough should be as white as possible for the prettiest results.

Tips and Suggestions

  • This project is best done in two days. The first day make the dough, cut it out and bake. On the second day decorate and display.
  • Don't make the dough in advance or use leftover dough.
  • Alum is optional. Alum is an astringent that aids in binding the ingredients.
  • Cookies larger that 2 1/4 inches may not dry flat. If you are experiencing this, allow the cookies to dry at room temperature for 24 hours on a floured cookie sheet, then continue to dry out in warm oven. Most average size cookies are dry in 24 hours.