Since our last adventure with playdough on day 12, Isabelle has been absolutely obsessed with the stuff. I have a few pots of brand name playdough which I bought for use in class years ago, and every day she has demanded that it comes out. However, since it's quite old, it isn't in much of a fit state of actual play; it has dried out and just flakes and crumbles rather than being mouldable. I have been meaning to make her some new playdough for proper play, and did it this morning while she washaving her nap.
A lot of recipes I have seen on Pinterest have involved heating the dough mixture over the stove. That seems like a lot of effort, so I searched for a "no cook" recipe, and tweaked it to make it just right for us. It was so easy to make, and is silky smooth and absolutely perfect in texture - mouldable, stretchy and perfect for rolling out. To make the dough I used:
* 2.5 cups plain flour
* 1 cup salt
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 2 tablespoons cream of tartar
* 1 cup boiling water
* generous glug of food colouring
I combined all the dry ingredients and the vegetable oil in our big mixing bowl while the kettle boiled. I had read to add my food
colouring in with my boiling water, so I used the rest of our yellow colouring and popped it into my measuring scoop before adding the boiling water, and adding it carefully into the mixing bowl too. Obviously, the mixture was very hot, so at first I stirred it and mixed it with a spoon. once it had cooled slightly I used my hands instead. The mixture is very sticky at first, but the more I worked it, the less sticky it became. I took it from the bowl onto a chopping board and kneaded it, before adding a few extra sprinkles of flour to take it to the correct texture.
Isabelle was very excited about her new dough, and took to it with gusto. What a change from the tears the first time I made her play dough! She used her rolling pin to "Roly poly", and we used her cutters to cut some shapes which she took to show her daddy. We then made some mouse shapes using a mold from her treasure basket, which she took great delight in squishing in and out. She just loved poking her fingers into it, tearing it apart and squishing the dough itself.
She plays so well by herself with playdough, which is just lovely to see. She is happy to poke it and make it into whatever she likes on her own, but of course loves to show us what she has been up to. This time, the only tears where when I told her that, sorry, but it really had to go away. I've stored the dough in a ziplock back ready to use again soon, and from everything I have read, the inclusion of cream of tartar in the recipe means it should stay silky smooth for months to come.
