In Praise of "MORTON'S DOUGH-IT-YOURSELF HANDBOOK. RISES AGAIN"

Like Chuck Barris and Billy Beer, salt dough was everywhere in the 70's, but dissapeared. I can't recall when I last saw a valiantly tarted up coffee can or an evergreen limb wrenched by the weight of a "dainty" 2 lb cherub head. Salt dough was the Little House on the Prarie version of Shrinky Dinks, crafty kitchen fun with an oven. I recall kneading the doughs' cold, dead, heft and the wet stinging burn of it against my cracked cuitcles. Arggh, the saga of drying it, dry too fast and it cracks, not dry enough and it molds.

I came across this brochure and was swept off by my feet by its sincere 70's stance, swanky sets and super props. Not to mention the great things made of salt dough. Commercial art? Folk art? Time capsule? High concept art? Yes YEs YES. See how you can use salt dough to decorate your entire home.

Take a voyeuristic (and highband width) look at the wonder of salt dough in the following pages.

Go to Salt Dough House

While researching this essay I found Morton is still shilling this tome. So I don't have to include boring directions. Go get the pdf or send a buck to Wacker Drive for your very own copy of of "Dough it Yourself".

Basic Recipe & Directions

4 cups flour
1 cup plain or iodized salt
1-1/2 cups hot tap water

Directions:
Pour the hot water and salt into the bowl, stir for 1 minute. Grains of salt will get smaller but should not dissolve. Add the flour, stir untilwater is absorbed. To color the dough, add 1/4 cup liquid tempera paint (or whatever you like) to the water before adding it to the flour.

Knead for several minutes -- it's ready to use when texture is smooth and pliable.
When you have made your designs, bake dough on a cookie sheet at 325 F (or even lower and slower) for about two hours. Bake until dough is hard on all surfaces, and thickest parts should seem solid. Dry item too fast and it WILL crack.

Wrap unused dough tightly or place in a plastic bag or covered container. Ideally, use the dough within 24 hours.

Paint or use permanent markers to color your creations after they're baked. Then to protect them from moisture in the air, apply a coat of lacquer.

Links,Good Bad and Silly in No Particular Order

The Salt Institute Knows Salt

Multihobbies has great info and pics

Wow, I can't believe it's salt dough

Ancient Eqyptians & Salt Dough