Salt dough: recipe and ideas

Salt dough is a child-friendly, inexpensive, and versatile modeling material that offers many ideas for craft projects. The basic recipe is quick and easy to make.

Make salt dough and let your imagination run wild

Salt dough consists of flour, salt, and water, can be refined with oil if desired, and is perfect for crafting and creative design.

• You will need 2 cups of flour, 1 cup each of salt and water, and 1 tablespoon of oil (optional). The oil makes the dough smoother and prevents it from sticking to your hands. If desired, replace half a cup of flour with cornstarch to make the dough even smoother and whiter.

• Place the solid ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Slowly add the water (and oil, if using) and begin to knead.

• Knead vigorously with your hands until the dough is smooth. The dough should not stick to your hands – if it does, add a little more flour.

• For even better results, let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.

• Color the dough with food coloring or spices before shaping, or paint the finished pieces afterwards.

• Shape figures, cut out motifs, or make handprints—there are no limits to your creativity. For particularly fine details, the dough can be rolled out thinly.

• Leave the figures to dry in the air for two to three days or bake them at approx. 100 to 140 °C for one to two hours, depending on their thickness. Check with a fork to see if the back sounds hollow – if it does, they are ready. Once cooled, the creations can be painted and decorated with watercolors, acrylic paint, or varnish.

• Notes: Salt dough is not edible! Store unused dough in an airtight container to keep it fresh for several days.

What you can make with salt dough

Salt dough can be used to make lots of creative and practical items.

• Roll out the salt dough and shape it into small decorative plates or bowls, which are ideal as jewelry trays, candle holders, or decorative objects.

• Using cookie cutters or your hands, you can make pretty pendants for gifts, the Christmas tree, or creative door signs for children’s rooms.

• Immortalize handprints or footprints – a personal memento and a beautiful gift for family members.

• Model figures, animals, or fantasy creatures that can be painted after drying – also ideal for crafting with children.

• Press leaves, flowers, or small objects into the dough to create nature prints or “fossils.”

• Use salt dough to make almost lifelike rolls, pretzels, braids, or donuts to stock your toy store or children’s kitchen. After baking, the pieces can be painted and are long-lasting.

• Encourage creativity and learning by cutting out letters or numbers that can later be used as educational toys.

• Form small bowls out of the dough and use them to create individual tea light holders or lanterns.