Easy to Make Play Dough

Play Dough Recipes 

If you've always thought about making play dough and never done so, well you're out of excuses! It is SO easy and our special play dough recipe makes play dough that looks and feels better than anything you can buy! The secret ingredient is the cream of tartar which gives cooked play dough a lovely smooth and elastic feel.
You'll never buy play dough from the shops again!

The basic cooked play dough recipe requires:

1 cup sifted plain flour
1/4 cup salt
2 tblsp oil
1 cup water
2 teasp cream of tartar and food colouring or powder paint

Heat the salt and water in a saucepan until the salt has dissolved. Add other ingredients and stir over medium heat until you have a smooth, firm dough. Allow to cool slightly and knead for a couple of minutes or place in a food processor. Store in an airtight container or bag. If the playdough feels a little dry at any time just dip it in oily water and give it a quick knead.

**TIP- By adding colour before the final knead you will get a marbled effect. By adding it to the water before you mix, it will give a uniform colour. You can also use essential oils or orange / lemon peel to add a lovely fragrance to your playdough.

Recipe for No Cook Play Dough

For those of us who don't want to get over a hot stove here's another simple playdough recipe that becomes more pliable the more your child plays with it! It will keep for about a week in a plastic container or zip lock bag in your fridge. The recipe is as follows-

1 cup salt
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Food colour or Wonder Colours, if desired
1 cup water

Mix dry ingredients and add oil. Add the food coloring to water then slowly add the water until the desired consistency is reached. Kneading will help to improve the texture- let your kids get into it!

Recipe for Salt Dough

3 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/4 cups water
1 tblsp glycerin (from pharmacy or supermarket)

Mix ingredients and knead until the dough is elastic. Your kids can make their own buttons, brooches, beads, animals, Christmas decorations whatever they can think of. Bake on a tray lined with foil or baking paper in a pre heated over at 150 C (300 F). Thin objects will take about 1 1/2 hours with thicker models taking longer. If the object is beginning to brown, turn down the heat of the oven. Finished objects can be painted with poster paints and varnished.

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Play Dough . Cut 'n' Paste . Paper Mache