How to make salt dough

Makes 1 ball
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 3 hours

250g plain flour
125g table salt
125ml water

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 50C or its lowest setting and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and stir until it comes together into a ball. You can finish bringing it together with your hands if needed.

3. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and shape into your chosen model. You can roll it out and cut out shapes, numbers or letters using biscuit cutters, or make any kind of model you can think of. We made some fruit and veg shapes plus cupcakes for a teddy bear’s picnic.

4. Put your finished items on the lined baking sheet and bake for 3 hrs or until solid.

5. Leave to cool and then paint.

Top tips

• Simple designs work best, as the dough isn’t sturdy until baked. If your child can’t decide between a tall giraffe or a flatter gecko, for example, steer them towards the gecko. Also bear in mind that the bigger/fatter the model, the longer it will take to harden in the oven.

• Try using silicone baking sheets to roll out the shapes without the need for extra flour. This saves on cleaning up your kitchen. Silicone sheets are also a quick way to bake without needing baking parchment.

• If you want to make salt dough 'cupcakes' like we did, pop your shaped dough into cupcake cases before you put it in the oven and bake the pretend cakes in cupcake trays. The dough then sets firmly stuck to the paper cases, ready for painting with pretend icing, cherries or sprinkles.

Salt dough ideas

See how to make salt dough ornaments for your Christmas tree.

• Baby’s first Christmas Make a new family keepsake by rolling out a circle of salt dough and helping a child gently push their hand into it to make an imprint. Decorate as you’d like, adding the year to the back of the decoration.

• Tree shapes Cut out a single large tree shape, bake for a little longer (4-6 hrs), leave to cool, then paint green. Younger children will now be able to help decorate with star stickers, pieces of tinsel or pom-poms.

• Names on the tree For a fun family activity, each of you can add your name onto a decoration using a glitter pen.

For inspiration, visit our friends at 5 Minute Fun and discover how to make simple salt dough handprint ornaments.