Salt dough is a cheap, non-toxic modelling material made from plain flour, fine salt and water. It is a favourite for children’s crafts, handprint keepsakes, Christmas ornaments and gift tags: shape it, dry or bake it until hard, then paint and varnish it. Salt makes the dough firm and stops it going mouldy, flour provides the structure and water binds it.
The proportions decide how the dough behaves. More salt gives a heavier, harder dough with crisp edges; more flour gives a smoother dough that is better for fine detail; a little wallpaper paste or potato starch makes it more elastic and less prone to cracking, and a spoon of oil keeps it soft for little hands. This calculator includes five such recipes.
Enter whichever amount you know – say you have 500 g of flour left, or you need about 1 kg of dough for a class – and it scales the rest, in grams and in cups. It also estimates how many ornaments the batch makes and how long a piece of your thickness needs in a low oven.
How to use the Salt Dough Calculator
- Recipe
- I know the amount of
- Amount
- Unit
- Weight of one ornament (g, 0 = skip)
- Thickness of your pieces (mm, 0 = skip)
Everything is calculated in your browser, so results appear instantly and nothing you type is sent to a server.
How it works
Each recipe is stored as weights relative to the flour. The known amount is converted to grams (cups use 120 g of flour, 288 g of table salt or 236.6 g of water per US cup), the flour is found, and the other ingredients are multiplied out.
Worked example
Classic recipe with 2 cups of flour (240 g): salt = 1 cup = 288 g and water = ¾ cup = 177 mL, a batch of 705 g. At 30 g per ornament that is about 23 ornaments; 6 mm thick pieces need about 1 hour in a 100–120 °C oven.
The recipes (weights per 100 g of flour)
| Recipe | Salt | Water | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic cup recipe | 120 g | 74 mL | – |
| Equal-weight | 100 g | 62 mL | – |
| Fine-detail | 50 g | 50 mL | – |
| Elastic | 100 g | 62 mL | 5 g wallpaper paste |
| Soft | 100 g | 60 mL | 10 g potato starch, 6.5 g oil |
Formula
Salt = flour × salt ratio · water = flour × water ratio · total = flour + salt + water + extras · oven time ≈ 1 hour per 6 mm (¼ in) of thickness at 100–120 °C (200–250 °F)
Worked example
Inputs — Recipe: Classic cup recipe (2 : 1 : ¾ cups); I know the amount of: Flour; Amount: 2; Unit: US cups; Weight of one ornament (g, 0 = skip): 30; Thickness of your pieces (mm, 0 = skip): 6.
Results — Plain flour = 240 g; Flour in US cups = 2 cups; Fine table salt = 288 g; Salt in US cups = 1 cups; Lukewarm water = 177 mL; Water in US cups = 0.75 cups.
Key terms
- Salt dough
- A modelling dough of flour, salt and water that hardens when dried or baked.
- Wallpaper paste
- Methylcellulose powder; a little makes dough more elastic.
- Air drying
- Letting pieces harden at room temperature instead of in the oven.
Frequently asked questions
What is the basic salt dough ratio?
The classic recipe is 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt and about ¾ cup of water – by weight roughly 240 g flour, 288 g salt and 177 mL water.
How long do you bake salt dough?
Low and slow: about 1 hour per 6 mm (¼ in) of thickness at 100–120 °C (200–250 °F), turning pieces halfway. Thick pieces can take 3 hours or more.
Can I air-dry salt dough instead?
Yes – it takes 2–7 days depending on thickness and humidity. Turn the pieces daily so they dry evenly.
Why does my salt dough crack?
Usually because it dried or baked too fast or was too dry. Bake at a lower temperature, add a little water or use the elastic recipe.
What salt should I use?
Fine table salt. Coarse salt leaves a grainy surface; for fine detail use the fine-detail recipe.
Is salt dough edible?
No. It contains a lot of salt, which is dangerous for pets and small children if eaten in quantity – keep dough and finished pieces out of reach.
How do I keep finished pieces?
Paint them once fully dry and seal all sides with varnish or clear sealer so they do not absorb moisture.