Salt Dough Hand Print Dish
An easy (and inexpensive!) handprint treasure for Mother’s Day or any day, that’s easy, inexpensive and fun all year long.
Yield: 1 dish
Equipment
- Paint and brushes
- Sandpaper or emery board
Materials
- ½ cup table salt
- ⅓ cup water
- 2 teaspoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Boil the water, either on the stove top or in the microwave in a large Pyrex cup measure. Add salt and stir to dissolve the salt. It won’t all dissolve so don’t worry if there’s some left.
- Add the vegetable oil to the salt mixture and stir.
- Place the flour in a mixing bowl and add the salt mixture and stir, stir, stir. Use your hands eventually. If the mixture seems dry, add water in 1 tablespoon increments until a soft dough forms. Knead until it’s smooth.
- Cover the dough and let it sit for an hour, this is optional, but I think it makes the texture smoother.
- Knead the dough again until it's soft and pliable. Roll the dough to your desired thickness. I used about ¼ inch thickness. Select a small oven safe bowl to give your dish it’s shape.
- Help your child press his or her handprint into the dough.
- Make sure the impression is deep. Cut out the area around the handprint in a round shape that will fit into your bowl. Place your slab, with handprint side up, into the bowl.
- Optional - use the remaining dough to make a flat hand print ornament.
- Preheat oven to 180°F.Place your bowl on a baking sheet and bake for two hours. By then you should be able to remove the dish from the bowl and it’ll hold its shape.
- Place the dish upside down to cure the bottom side and bake for two to three more hours depending on thickness. Don’t try to rush this by baking at a higher temperature or the dough may puff up and ruin your handprint. Bake until solid and dry.
- Let cool completely. Smooth any uneven or sharp points with sandpaper or a emery board . Paint as desired. Better yet, let the kiddie paint it. Paint according to directions on your paint. I used Waverly metallic paint in White Opal and Moonstone.
