I wanted to make something for hubby for fathers day from the twins. I have pinned a multitude of ideas on pinterest for ‘later on’ when I get around to doing them, and these Salt Dough Imprints are one of those things.
I thought they would be perfect for a little home made present from B1 and B2. I decided to make some for both poppies for Father’s Day and for my mum’s birthday which fell the day after Father’s Day.
They were relatively easy to make, although they did take a little longer in the oven than expected.
I followed this recipe off The Imagination Tree.
Ingredients:
1 cup Salt
1 cup Plain flour
Half a cup of warm water
This made two plaques.
Method:
Mix together in a bowl and knead until smooth and stretchy. Mix well enough so that the salt is well mixed in (otherwise it may be too granular) and so that it is not too sticky.
There is a little trial and error here. If the mix is to sticky add a little more flour, if it is too dry and crumbly add a touch more water.
Once I had the right consistency and the dough was well kneaded, I divided the mixture in half and pressed each one into a bowl. Make sure the bowl you use will make a big enough circle to fit your child’s foot.
I had to do this twice as the first time I used one of the twins small plastic bowls and when I went to press B2′s foot into the dough his toes hung over the top and wouldn’t fit on (Yes, he is likely to have daddy’s size 14 feet).
Run a butter knife around the edge of the dough and pry it gently away from the bowl. Tip the bowl upside down and as the dough falls out gently place it on the bench. The top side should be left smooth from the bowl.
Holding your child gently press their foot into the dough. (Of course if you are doing this with an older child you may wish to place the dough on a tray on the floor so they can stand and place their own foot onto the dough).
A firm press straight down, then add a little pressure before lifting straight up again is what will work best. Depending on the age of your child you may need to make sure they don’t curl their toes up as you make the imprint.
If it doesn’t work so well the good thing is you can just re knead the dough and try again!
I then placed them on a tray lined with baking paper so they didn’t stick to the tray. When I took the first lot out to check them the paper had stuck to the bottoms so with the next two batches I made for the Nannas and Poppies, I also sprayed the baking paper with a little cooking spray and this worked much better. No sticking.
Now this is where my experience differed from The Imagination Tree. It says that they will take approx 3 hours on 100 degrees celsius. And if still doughy after 3 hours to turn them over and place them back in for another 2 hours.
Mine took much longer than this.
I had the oven on 100 degrees, and after 3 hours they were still quiet doughy in the center. So I put them back in and randomly checked them. After another 2 hours they felt better on top but when I turned them over the middle of the back was still pretty doughy. So I turned them upside down and they went back in again for at least another 2 hours as I kept checking on them to make sure they didn’t burn.
The oven needs to be on a low heat for a good length of time for them to completely dry out and harden. If the oven is to hot they will rise and cook. The thinner the dough and lower the temperature the better they will turn out.
I used some pink and blue paints to paint them once they were done.
I did 2 coats of paint on both sides and then did a third coat with either blue or pink glitter paints. Then once the paint was dry I wrote a lovely message to the recipient on the back.
I was pleased with how these turned out and they were loved by all who received them.
I love that we now have a permanent reminder of just how small B1 and B2′s feet are at 18 months.
Ang
