How to Make Dough

Making play dough is a simple and fun activity for kids and adults alike. You can make playdough by heating it on the stove, or make delicious play dough by heating marshmallows in the microwave. Whichever way you choose, feel free to get creative with adding food coloring, glitter, and more to create beautiful play dough.

Table of Contents

Ingredient

Play dough cooked on the stove

2 cups flour
2 cups (470ml) of water
¾ cup of salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar powder
2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil
Food coloring (optional)

Edible marshmallow play dough

1 pack of marshmallows 280g
2.5 cups cornmeal
⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
3 tablespoons (45ml) of water
Food coloring (optional)

Make a play dough by heating it on the stove

Mix flour, cream of tartar and salt in a small saucepan. First, you need to measure out 2 cups of flour, 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar powder, and ¾ cup (180 ml) of salt. The next step is to mix the dry ingredients well. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Don’t cut back on salt. This is the ingredient that helps the dough not be too sticky.
The pot used must be cold. You do not need to turn on the stove at this step.

Add 2 cups (470ml) water and 2 tablespoons (30ml) vegetable oil. Use a spoon to stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. You need to stir until the mixture is even and there is no more flour. ^{[2] X Research Source}

The whisk will help you stir up the stubborn dough.

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Ingredients to replace vegetable oil

If you want the dough to have a sweeter taste , use coconut oil

If you want to create a smoother dough , use baby oil.

If you run out of vegetable oil , you can use canola or olive oil.

Cook the mixture over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn the stove to medium heat and stir the play dough with a spoon. Remember to scrape the bottom of the pot regularly to prevent the dough from sticking or burning. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

If the temperature of the stove rises quickly, you only need to cook the play dough for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Remove the play dough from the pot when the dough is dry. You should see the dough no longer stick to the sides of the pot as the dough has thickened and become a mass. When the dough has no wet spots and can be formed into balls, carefully remove the dough from the pot. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Although you can use your hands to remove the dough from the pot when the dough is ready, you should still use a spoon to avoid burns.
Don’t forget to turn off the stove and remove the pot from the stove. You should soak the pot in a bath of soapy water for easy cleaning.

Add a few drops of food coloring if you want to make the dough colorful. The more drops of color you add, the darker the color will be. As a rule of thumb, you’ll start by adding 5 drops of color first and gradually increase if you want the dough to be lighter in color. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

If you want to make play dough with different colors, divide the dough into equal portions before adding food coloring. For example, if you wanted red and blue play dough, you would divide the dough into two parts and add color to each part.

Some ingredients for play dough

Food coloring

Purl

Essential oils like lavender or peppermint

luminous paint

Salt

Confetti

Knead the dough for about 30 seconds or until the dough is smooth. Squeeze and fold the dough with your hands until there are no lumps left. If you’re adding food coloring or other ingredients, continue kneading until the dough is even and free of streaks. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

If the dough is still too hot, wait for the dough to cool down before kneading.
You can knead the dough on any flat surface, such as spreading parchment paper on the counter for a clean surface.

Place the dough in a container with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Make sure the box is tightly closed so the play dough doesn’t dry out. Throw away the play dough after 3 months, or when you see the dough rise to mold. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

If the dough is dry, simply knead the dough with a few drops of water to improve the condition.
You can also store the play dough in a zippered plastic bag. Push all the air out of the bag before closing the mouth of the bag.

Make edible marshmallow dough

Mix marshmallow, cornstarch, oil, and water in a bowl. First, you’ll pour the 280g pack of marshmallows into a microwaveable bowl. Next, add 2.5 cups of cornstarch, ⅓ cup (80ml) of vegetable oil, and 3 tablespoons (45ml) of water. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Check the information on the bottom of the bowl to see if the bowl is microwaveable. You will probably see the words “Safe for microwave use”.

Heat the bowl in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring the mixture every 30 seconds. You need to heat the mixture until the marshmallow is completely melted. Checking and stirring the mixture every 30 seconds with a spatula helps you avoid burning.

Marshmallow will start to turn brown if cooked too long.
Remember to scrape the bottom of the bowl while stirring so the marshmallow doesn’t burn.
Depending on the wattage of your microwave, you shouldn’t need up to 2 minutes to melt the marshmallow.

Put a few drops of food coloring in the bowl to make the play dough colored. If you want the play dough to have a soft pastel color, you only need to use a few drops of color. Conversely, if you prefer darker and brighter tones, increase the number of drops. Note, a little food coloring is enough to make a difference. ^{[9] X Research Source}

You can also keep the white color of the play dough if you like.
Get creative and combine different food colors. For example, use red and blue food coloring to make purple play dough.

Knead the dough until smooth and evenly colored. Similar to when you knead the bread dough, pull, fold, and squeeze the dough with your hands. When it’s done, the play dough should be free of clumps of cornstarch or splashes of food coloring. ^{[10] X Research Source}

If you feel the dough is too sticky, add some cornstarch and continue kneading.
Brush a little coconut oil on your hands before kneading the dough so that the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers.

Place the dough in a container with a tight-fitting lid and store in the refrigerator for about 1 week. Since the play dough is edible and made from perishable ingredients, the shelf life will be very short. Remember to close the box tightly so that the dough does not spoil quickly. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Don’t let young children eat play dough that’s been stored in the refrigerator for longer than a week or if it’s moldy.
You can also use a zippered plastic bag to store the play dough.

Things you need

Play dough cooked on the stove

Small pot
Spoon
Flat surface for kneading dough
Box with tight-fitting lid or zippered plastic bag
Beater (optional)

Edible marshmallow play dough

Bowl can be used in the microwave
Spoon
Flat surface for kneading dough
Box with tight-fitting lid or zippered plastic bag

Advice

Each recipe will have a different ratio of ingredients, so experiment until you find the ratio that works for you.
Use a toothpick to paint the four corners of the dough to create a swirling effect.
Wash your hands before making the dough.
Immediately dispose of any play dough that has been dropped on the floor or by someone sneezing or coughing.
Let young children choose colors and help with easy tasks like mixing ingredients. Here’s how to make your child feel cared for.
You can also make play dough without cooking.

Warning

The amount of salt in play dough can be harmful to pets; Therefore, you should keep the play dough out of the reach of pets.
Adult supervision is essential throughout the process of making and playing with play dough.
Be careful when storing playdough at room temperature or in the refrigerator for an extended period of time as it will become moldy.
Play dough is often easy to stick to the fabric. It’s a good idea to know how to clean play dough from clothes or carpet before you play with it so you can fix the problem as soon as possible.

Ingredient

Play dough cooked on the stove

Edible marshmallow play dough

Steps

Make a play dough by heating it on the stove

Make edible marshmallow dough

Things you need

Play dough cooked on the stove

Edible marshmallow play dough

Advice

Warning

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