Salt Dough Recipe - for Handprints & Ornaments
An easy salt dough recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup salt
- 1.5 cups warm water
- Clear Glaze Finish or Mod Podge
Instructions
- Combine all of your dry ingredients and knead for 10 minutes. If your dough is too dry add a little bit more water in (a few table spoons at a time) and continue to knead. The dough should be smooth and roll out with not too many bumps. It should also be easy to press a handprint into it. If it's too hard or dry, then add a little bit more water and continue to knead.
- Roll out the dough to a thickness that you'd like your salt dough ornament to be. We like between 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness.
- Using a large cookie cutter, cut out different shapes for your salt dough ornaments. If making handprints, place the handprints first and then trace around them.
- Have your child place their hand into the salt dough ornament. If the dough is too hard to get an imprint it may be too dry. Continue to knead until smooth. You can also add in a little bit more water.
- Using a straw, make a hole in the top for where you want to hang your salt dough ornament.
- If possible, let the ornaments air dry for a day.
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 1-2 hours. If your ornaments are still doughy, put back in for another hour. (It will depend on your thickness how long you need to bake for. The thinner ornaments will take less time but thicker may take more).
- If you encounter too much puffing, roll out thinner ornaments and this will help reduce the puffing. If the ornament is still a bit doughy, bake for longer or let sit out a few days to harden before decorating. The thickness of the dough will determine how long you have to bake them for. We prefer to bake them at 250 degrees Fahreneheit for longer and let them air dry for a few days to prevent puffing.
- Once cool, you can decorate by painting with non-toxic acrylic paint.
- Spray with a clear glaze finish or finish with mod podge. Do this before adding the glitter.
- To make the hand glittery, fill the handprint with glue then sprinkle glitter on top of the glue, shake off the excess and let it dry.