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.

If you preserve salt dough properly, it will last for decades.

Bake the Salt Dough Ornaments

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the sheet of ornaments in the oven and bake for 2-3 hours turning them over halfway through.

If you overcook them, they tend to bubble up. As everyone's dough will be mixed differently and microwaves have different levels of power, please keep an eye on your creations when they are cooking. Take them out to check their dryness – CAREFUL - THEY WILL BE HOT!

Oven dry the salt dough pieces.

It can be as short as 30 minutes for small and flat pieces to several hours for bigger, thicker ones. To avoid browning, check on the pieces from time to time. You can also cover them loosely with aluminium foil. Once done baking, allow the pieces to cool.

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.

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.

How do I preserve and store these Salt Dough Ornaments? In order to keep your ornaments and use them for several years, it is best to seal them. Painting them with acrylic paint, if you choose to, will begin the process. But a coat of Mod Podge or Acrylic sealer that is applied like a spray paint will be needed.

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

Can I Rebake my salt dough ornaments? ›

Sadly, it's unlikely that you can repair a salt dough piece to look like it did before, says crafter and longtime Martha Stewart Living contributor Silke Stoddard. Much like trying to repair a baked cookie—you can't go back to the dough the way it was unbaked.

Baking Salt Dough Ornaments

Bake ornaments for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. I check my ornaments after an hour. They are done when they are completely hard. If they start to brown then they are well done – and that's okay!

Roll out to a thickness of 1/8 inch; cut desired shapes with cookie cutters. Transfer dough shapes to ungreased cookie sheets; use a toothpick to make a hole in each ornament for hanging. Bake in the preheated oven until hard, about 1 hour, switching racks halfway through.

If baking, place the salt dough ornaments on a cookie sheet and bake at 250°F for about 2 hours or until all moisture is gone. If the ornaments are still soft in some places, you can continue to let them air dry. Decorate the salt dough ornaments with acrylic paint, Mod Podge Sparkle or other accents.

Note: The dough should be soft and not too stiff or sticky. If it's difficult to work with, adjust the texture by adding a spoonful of water (if it's too stiff) or a spoonful of flour (if it's too wet or sticky) at a time.

Try to get the dough to an even thickness before baking so the ornaments bake evenly. Bake for the time indicated and then longer if your ornaments still feel soft. They should be firm to the touch without much give but do not need to be rock hard.

Salt absorbs water, so left unsealed, the salt in the dough is just going to absorb the water from the air around you. In places with high humidity, your salt dough gift could be soggy in a few days!!