Homemade Play Dough

My kids love Play-Doh.  They have lots of cutters and tools and even a Play-Doh ice cream shop.  But over the course of shaping and molding, the “doh” always ends up missing.  It goes bit by bit.  It gets stuck in the grinders and cutters.  Sometimes we don’t close the containers all of the way and it dries out.  Whatever the reason, every few months I seem to get a request for more Play-Doh.  After spending way too much money on this salty mush, I decided to try to make it myself.  Here is a great recipe for dough that feels just like the original.  As an added bonus, the kids will have a lot of fun making it with you.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 2 cups cold water
• Food coloring
• Clean, flat surface for kneading
• Plastic bag or container

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix the flour, salt, vegetable oil, cream of tartar, and water together.
2. Cook uncovered over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Stir constantly until the dough is the consistency of mashed potatoes.
3. Divide the dough into four equal portions.
4. Add 6-8 drops of food coloring to each portion and knead it into the dough to distribute it evenly.  Kneading the color into the dough is a lot of fun.  Let you kids take care of this part.
5. Store the play dough in a plastic bag or airtight container.  Perhaps, even one of those dozens of now empty Play-Doh containers.

Makes 3 1/2 cups of dough

(Photo By: wwworks)