Salt Dough Ornament Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to tell if salt dough ornaments are done? ›

If you take good care of them and store them properly they can last a very long time! I recently saw a post from someone saying that they had some in good shape that were 35 years old. How do you know when salt dough is done? It will be hard to the touch but still light in color on the top.

The salt dough recipe

You want a ratio of one part salt and two parts flour. For making just a few little salt dough creations with your kids, one cup salt and two cups flour should be enough. If you want to prepare more, just increase the number of cups proportionally.

The great thing about it is that the salt dough sculptures will harden if you leave them out to dry at room temperature. Depending on the size of the pieces, it will take 2 to 7 days to dry completely. Turn the pieces from time to time for faster drying. Oven dry the salt dough pieces.

You can paint a coat of glossy decoupage glue over the entire ornament to seal and protect it, and to give it a shiny finish. You can also spritz it with a light coat of polyurethane spray. Both methods, along with the salt acting as a natural preservative, help to extend the ornament's longevity.

If you overcook them, they tend to bubble up.

Salt dough is susceptible to moisture, meaning it will pull any moisture from the surrounding air. This causes your projects to turn soggy or even crumble.

If the percentage of salt added to a dough becomes too high, excessive dehydration will eventually kill the yeast and bacteria. Most scientists believe that at 2% of the flour weight or less, salt alone does not significantly alter either the yeast's gassing power or the bacteria's acid production.

Roll out dough till its about 1/8 inch thick. This is important because if you make the dough too thick it will crack and not create rad looking ornaments! You can thank me later for that tip. With any cooking cutters you love, begin to cut out ornaments.

If the dough is too wet and sticky, knead in a little more flour. If it's too stiff, add a little more water. There is a big range in the way different flours absorb liquid, so there is a normal range of variation in liquid needs. It should be easy to work with—soft and not too stiff and not excessively sticky.

Dough that is too thin may crack around the edges and dough that is too thick will definitely bubble.

Why did my salt dough ornaments get puffy? ›

Make sure your oven is set to 150°f. This is SUPER IMPORTANT. I have seen others use hotter temperatures but I haven't been able to do so without getting puffiness. So, plain all-purpose flour, 150ºf oven and 1/4 inch thickness = no puffy ornaments.

You'll make salt dough according to the recipe, cut your shapes, and then bake it. Then you'll paint and Mod Podge the resulting ornaments.

(If you do not have Mod Podge, you can make your own by mixing equal parts White Elmer's Glue and water.) For a final seal and a shinier finish, you can use an acrylic spray to coat the ornaments. Shiny acrylic is very shiny.

Properly prepared salt dough ornaments that have fully dried will last for decades! The most important tip for long lasting salt dough ornaments is to make sure that you let them dry out all the way – and that you don't let them get damp. If they dampen, they can mold.

Bake the salt dough ornaments in the oven at 250°F for 1.5 to 2 hours until the dough is completely dried. For those with more patience, you can also air-dry salt dough ornaments. If you choose the no-bake method, make sure your ornaments are very thin, and allow for 4-7 days for the ornaments to dry completely.

CAN YOU OVER BAKE SALT DOUGH? Well, yes, you can - so if you see the dough shapes start to bubble or crack while baking, it's time to take them out!

Roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch; cut desired festive shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer onto the prepared baking sheet; use a toothpick to make a hole in each ornament for hanging. Bake in the preheated oven until dry and hard, about 2 hours. Allow to cool completely before decorating.

Place the salt dough on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and the firmly push down the hand, foot, key etc. to leave an imprint. Bake the salt dough in a preheat oven at 150°c / Gas Mark 2 for approximately 3 hours or until they are completely dry.