Homemade Play Dough

I recently bought some little pots of cheap play dough (I had planned to take it on a plane journey until the other half pointed out that it looks like explosive), we had a play with it today. Suffice to say we didn't play with it for long, it smelt like chemicals and was really sticky. £1.50 wasted as it went in the bin. So I thought I'd try making some, especially as when I looked at recipes I had everything in the cupboard except for food colouring.

The recipe I used was:

2 cups of plain flour
2 cups of warm water
1 cup of salt
4 dessert spoons of vegetable oil
3 teaspoons of Cream of Tartar (or 3 sachets)
Food colouring (I bought primary colours and mixed to also make green, purple and orange)

 

I was expecting this to be a messy job that I'd regret starting but it was so easy! Simply put all the ingredients (except the food colouring) in a pan on the hob and heat until it binds together and is no longer 'wet.' If it is still sticking to your hand rather than itself heat it a little longer, it took 5-7minutes for me. It should look like this...

 

 

Allow it to cool and then knead together so it is smooth. I did this on a tray just in case any stuck to the worktop. Next separate into the number of colours you have. Make a dent in each of your balls of dough and add your colours. At this point I also added some essential oil to some of the balls to make it an extra sensory experience. Knead the food colouring into each ball - being sure to wash your hands in between so you don't contaminate the different colours.

 

 

Now get creative!

 

You can store the play dough in an air tight box. If it starts to dry out your can add a little water or equally if it gets sticky you can reheat it. I haven't tried either of these methods yet and it might be easier to just start again.

 

 

 

Happy moulding!

Em xx