Homemade dough · Playdough
Homemade stovetop playdough
Homemade cooked playdough: softer and longer-lasting. Flour, salt, cream of tartar, water, and oil heated by an adult. Amounts, colors, and storage.
- DifficultyEasy
- Time15 minutes
- Makes1 ball (3 colors)
- Recommended ageAges 3+, an adult does the cooking
The cooked version of playdough is the closest to the store-bought kind: very soft and stretchy, and it keeps for up to two months in the fridge. The cooking is quick, but it’s done in a saucepan on the stove: that’s the adult’s job.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 ml, about 125 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (120 ml) table salt
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) cream of tartar
- 1 cup (240 ml) water
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil
- Food coloring
Supplies: a saucepan, a wooden spoon, a mixing bowl.
Steps
- In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and cream of tartar.
- An adult heats the water and oil in the saucepan until boiling, then takes it off the heat.
- The adult pours the flour mixture into the hot water and stirs nonstop until it forms a firm ball.
- Let the dough cool for about 5 minutes.
- Knead for 3 to 4 minutes, then divide it into three and add a color to each piece.
The most common slime fails
- It stays sticky
- Not cooked enough: put it back on the heat for a minute (adult) while stirring, or add a little flour.
- It’s dry
- Knead in a drizzle of oil.
Variations and ideas
- ½ tsp of food flavoring or 1 tsp of cinnamon per piece adds a nice scent.
- Quick version, no saucepan: no-cook playdough.
How to store it
Airtight container in the fridge: up to two months.
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