Salt dough: a great DIY father’s day gift!
OK, this is not an edible recipe! But I love to share it, because it makes a great DIY keepsake or craft to do with young kids. This dough is known in French as “pate a sel”. Brings me back memories of preschool… The possibilities of what you can do with it are endless! You can use it exactly like play-dough, but once shaped, you can also keep it forever, after drying and cooking the objects.
We have been making the kids handprint for the past 3 years at every father’s day. It’s a great keepsake, and every year we get to compare how big they got! But I also use it around Xmas, to make home-made ornaments. You can color the dough, before cooking, or paint it, spray it, varnish it after cooking. You can even add smell to it, with essentials oils or spices added to the dough!
Anyway, it’s really fun and super easy to do, so let’s play kids!!!
Ingredients:
– 2 cup of white flour
– 1 cup of table salt
– 1 cup of water
Instructions:
Place all ingredients in the bowl of your mixer and work it with the hook attachment until the dough is smooth. Or do it by hand, just like you would do for a bread dough. The dough must be firm and not sandy. Add more water or flour to achieve a nice, smooth, easy to model dough.
That’s it! Do whatever you want with it! We flatten it here, and press our little hands. Place your creations on parchment paper, on a cooking tray.
Let your creations dry for 12 hours or overnight. Cook it in a preheated oven at 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. The cooking time really depends on the thickness of the object. Start with at least an hour, and remove it once the dough is totally hardened. That can take quiet a few hours!!!
To get some creative ideas of what to do with your salt dough, search “pate a sel” in google images. If you understand french, visit this web site for all the info about the dough (how to cook, color…). Or I found a page in english that is pretty good too: http://www.squidoo.com/saltdough.
Have fun and happy father’s day!
XOXO
Tartine
You may also like to do with/for the kiddos:
Hello Kitty Cake for my sweet Baby’s BD
Kitty Cake pop, the experience!!!
Chocolate Cheerios Marshmallow Bars
Peanut Butter & Jam Popsicles: a treat that’s good for you… and the kids
Tartine & Maple Cuisine 
Great idea, I love it!