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Step 5Making the Salty Play Dough
The salty play dough is what gave me the inspiration for this project from the start. It's elastic and just sticky enough to adhere to paper/cardboard, and when it dries it forms a salty crust over it that feels like concrete or stone.
Before you start, make sure you have enough for at least two batches, you'll have enough to finish the project (if it's around the size of mine) with a bit left over to play with.
In case you don't remember, you'll need:
*2 cups flour
*1 cup salt
*2 tablespoons vegetable oil
*4 tablespoons cream of tartar
*2 cups water
*A large mixing bowl
*A whisk and a sturdy wooden spoon
*A large saucepan or a dutch oven
*A smaller scraping spoon (like a dinner spoon)
Prep:
Start by putting the water and oil in the saucepan and place the saucepan on the stove. *Do not turn the stove on yet!*
Mix the flour, salt, and cream of tartar in the large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Cooking:
When you're satisfied with the dry mix, turn the stove to a medium-high (Mine was on 6) and warm the water up. Grab your bowl of dry ingredients and start mixing the dry ingredients in the wet, but do it fast. The mix will start to solidify as soon as it gets warm. Once all the mix is in the pan, remove it from heat (to another burner, you'll want the first to stay on) and mix all the lumps out.
Once all the lumps are gone, return the pan to the head and mix vigorously with the whisk. *Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom continually*. When you pull the whisk out and the mix is coagulated inside of it, it's time to switch to the wooden spoon and turn the heat down to a medium-ish temperature(Mine went down to 4). If the spoon starts gathering gunk on the end, use the dinner spoon to scrape it off and keep going. Continue mixing until the dough starts to come together. *Be sure to flip the more-done dough to the top and the less-done goop to the bottom, or else the dough will be half-burned and half-goop*. If you're brave, you can test the done-ness of the dough by touching it. If it's sticky and non-elastic, it's not done. The dough is done when you can poke it and it re-forms slightly. When the dough gets to this stage, turn the stove off, turn the dough onto a clean countertop, and set the saucepan in your sink and fill it with water. This last step is important if you want the doughcrust to come off the pan.
Finishing:
When the dough gets warm enough to touch, begin kneading it to help cool it faster. I wouldn't recommend you leave it out for long, though. It'll start forming a salty crust within a few minutes if you don't knead it. Once it's cool enough, store it in an airtight container. It'll stay nice and squishy for a long time, although I'm not sure how long exactly. My first batch was in the container for a month before I used it, so you can make this well ahead of time and save on the stress.
When the dough is all put away, wipe down any surfaces that have a salty residue from the dough. A good sponging is usually enough to get rid of anything the dough can leave behind.
Before you start, make sure you have enough for at least two batches, you'll have enough to finish the project (if it's around the size of mine) with a bit left over to play with.
In case you don't remember, you'll need:
*2 cups flour
*1 cup salt
*2 tablespoons vegetable oil
*4 tablespoons cream of tartar
*2 cups water
*A large mixing bowl
*A whisk and a sturdy wooden spoon
*A large saucepan or a dutch oven
*A smaller scraping spoon (like a dinner spoon)
Prep:
Start by putting the water and oil in the saucepan and place the saucepan on the stove. *Do not turn the stove on yet!*
Mix the flour, salt, and cream of tartar in the large mixing bowl and whisk together.
Cooking:
When you're satisfied with the dry mix, turn the stove to a medium-high (Mine was on 6) and warm the water up. Grab your bowl of dry ingredients and start mixing the dry ingredients in the wet, but do it fast. The mix will start to solidify as soon as it gets warm. Once all the mix is in the pan, remove it from heat (to another burner, you'll want the first to stay on) and mix all the lumps out.
Once all the lumps are gone, return the pan to the head and mix vigorously with the whisk. *Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom continually*. When you pull the whisk out and the mix is coagulated inside of it, it's time to switch to the wooden spoon and turn the heat down to a medium-ish temperature(Mine went down to 4). If the spoon starts gathering gunk on the end, use the dinner spoon to scrape it off and keep going. Continue mixing until the dough starts to come together. *Be sure to flip the more-done dough to the top and the less-done goop to the bottom, or else the dough will be half-burned and half-goop*. If you're brave, you can test the done-ness of the dough by touching it. If it's sticky and non-elastic, it's not done. The dough is done when you can poke it and it re-forms slightly. When the dough gets to this stage, turn the stove off, turn the dough onto a clean countertop, and set the saucepan in your sink and fill it with water. This last step is important if you want the doughcrust to come off the pan.
Finishing:
When the dough gets warm enough to touch, begin kneading it to help cool it faster. I wouldn't recommend you leave it out for long, though. It'll start forming a salty crust within a few minutes if you don't knead it. Once it's cool enough, store it in an airtight container. It'll stay nice and squishy for a long time, although I'm not sure how long exactly. My first batch was in the container for a month before I used it, so you can make this well ahead of time and save on the stress.
When the dough is all put away, wipe down any surfaces that have a salty residue from the dough. A good sponging is usually enough to get rid of anything the dough can leave behind.
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