A Gift to be Thankful for

I am glad to say that the block which has been keeping me from making new salt dough items, is slowly but surely beginning to disappear.

Ideas for new gifts made from salt dough, are running through my head and all I have to do now, is make a new batch or two of salt dough and start working. Read more...

I have posted the basic salt dough recipe in the side bar for your convenience. I realised on Sunday night that there is no link to the post in which the recipe first appeared and as this was only my second post on the blog, many new readers to this blog have no way of knowing where to find the recipe.

If you found a recipe for salt dough on the internet, you most probably would have noticed that most of the recipes use 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of salt. My recipe in the sidebar uses 2 cups of flour and 2 cups of salt, as this amount of salt gives a firm dough that holds its shape very well.

I sometimes find that the ratio of 2/1 gives a softer dough and items tend to sag during baking. However, you can experiment with the two recipes and decide which one is right for you.

I want to give you another dough recipe which I have also used on and off throughout the years. The dough is made from stale white bread and has a very fine texture, rather like clay. It does not have to be baked and it is ideal to use for small items like fruits and vegetables as well as flower/rose petals and leaves.

Use food coloring or colored acrylic paint to make coloured dough or paint as desired with craft or other acrylic paints of choice and seal with 2 coats of clear varnish or any other all purpose sealer.

To make the bread-dough:

Three slices stale, white bread with crusts removed
One tablespoons (12,5 ml) white wood glue
One teaspoon (5 ml) glycerine
Three drops lemon juice
One tablespoon (12,5 ml) white acrylic paint (gouache)

Method:

Crumb bread in a blender. Place the crumbs in a bowl and add
the remaining ingredients. Stir with a spoon until combined.
Knead dough thoroughly with hands until smooth, soft and lump free.

Cover dough with plastic wrap or keep in a plastic bag when not in
use. It can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks when
wrapped in plastic and sealed in a plastic container.

Tip: Apply a little glycerine-based hand cream to your hands to prevent the dough sticking and for easier handling of the dough.