Sourdough Salt Dough Ornaments
Make these sourdough salt dough ornaments to ring in the holiday season. Made with sourdough starter, salt, flour and water, these could not be any easier!
Yield: 16 ornaments
Cost: 2
Equipment
- 1 Rolling Pin
- Cookie cutter, biscuit cutter, play dough cutters Anything you want to use to cut or shape the dough
Materials
- 1/2 Cup Sourdough Starter Active starter or sourdough discard both work
- 1-1/2 Cup Flour
- 1/2 Cup Salt Kosher salt, Table Salt, Himalayan Sea Salt
- 3/4 Cup Water +/- (See notes)
Instructions
- To begin, mix the salt and flour together. Add in the sourdough discard.
- Finally, add in the water, starting with 3/4 cup. Mix together with a wooden spoon until it is too hard to stir, then knead with your hands.*The water ratio can be adjusted based and will be impacted by how hydrated your sourdough starter is. See notes for more details.
- Combine the dough by hand, kneading (aka playing with) the dough for as long as you like. Once the dough comes together, use a rolling pin to flatten.Option to add a light layer of extra flour to the counter if the dough is too sticky.
- Roll the dough 1/8-1/4 inch thin.If your dough is sticking to the rolling pin, run it under water or place the salt dough between two pieces of parchment paper.
- Use cookie cutters, a biscuit cutter, or hands to make shapes in the dough. Use hands, feet, cookie stamps or other materials to leave imprints on the dough.We have used leaves and pine needles for fun patterns.
- As the shapes are made, remove any excess dough from around the cuttings to keep their shape.Gather the remaining dough together and roll out to use again.
- If you are planning on hanging the ornaments, poke a hole in the top (or center) of the ornament. We used a straw, though you could use a knife to create a hole shape.
- Preheat the oven temperature to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the salt dough ornaments on a parchment lined / silicone baking mat on a cookie sheet. Ensure there is space between the ornaments so they do not touch.
- Bake the ornaments for 90 minutes to three hours total. After cooking for 90 minutes, check on the ornaments every 20 minutes. When cooked, the salt dough should be hard to the touch.
- Allow to cool at room temperature until cold. Once cooled, decorate and allow them to dry again. Put a date on the back with a fine point Sharpie if you want to remember the year the ornament was made.
- Finally, seal them with a sealant (mod podge glue, or spray sealant) to ensure they will not crack.
Video
Notes
Notes about Water* / Cracking Dough:
- If your starter is thick as opposed to runny, you may need more water. The opposite is true if your starter is hungry or runny.
- If you find the mixture is too sticky, add more flour. If it is too dry, add more liquid one tablespoon at a time.
- Should the dough look like the surface is showing cracks, wet your finger with warm water and smooth it out. As the dough dries, it may begin to look cracked.
- If hanging the ornament, tie string or pretty ribbon in the hole.
- It is easy to decorate the salt dough ornaments. Decorate by coloring on them with acrylic paint, water color paint or sparkles. It can be fun to use hot glue and paste items to the ornaments, like pine needles or dried flowers.
- Once the sourdough salt dough ornaments have cooled completely, you can store them. It can be helpful to spray with spray sealer or coat with mod podge, ensuring both sides are covered.
- As they are fragile, you can wrap them in bubble wrap, tissue paper or a towel before storing. If you use newspaper or a magazine to provide protection, the ink may leak into the ornament. Consider using tissue paper instead. Store the handmade ornaments in a dry place.
- Salt dough ornaments can last for years if preserved correctly and covered in varnish (sealer or mod podge). If not sealed, they will likely crumble within a year or two.