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GHBC Pram Club Playdough Recipe

We use this playdough every week, and so many people have asked 
for it that we included it in our last newsletter.

Ingredients: 
   200g (7 oz) plain flour 
   100g (3˝ oz) salt 
   2 tsps cream of tartar 
   1 tbsp oil 
   300ml (12 fl oz) water 
   Food colouring to suit 

Using a saucepan 
   Put the flour, salt, cream of tartar and oil into a large saucepan. 
   Add the food colouring to the water. The more you use, the darker 
   your finished dough will be. 
   Put the pan over a low-to-medium heat and cook, stirring constantly. 
   This is quite hard work - the mixture will be very liquid at first, 
   then begin to thicken suddenly. 
   Continue to stir until the dough becomes very stiff. 
   Remove the pan from the heat and scrape out the dough with a wooden 
   spoon onto a smooth surface. 
   Put the pan to soak immediately. Warning : it looks very tempting at 
   this stage, but the inside will still be very hot. Before using, slice 
   it in half with a knife and test it carefully with your finger. You 
   can roll it out to make it cool more quickly. Knead it thoroughly 
   until it becomes pliable and holds its shape well.

Using a microwave 
This method involves much less physical effort and produces excellent 
results. The instructions given are for a 650 watt oven, so adjust 
accordingly.
   Mix the ingredients as for pan-cooked playdough, but use a large bowl 
   suitable for microwave use. 
   Put the bowl, uncovered, in the microwave. Cook on full power for 
   2 minutes. Using oven gloves, remove it from the oven and stir well. 
   Replace the bowl and continue cooking until the mixture starts to leave 
   the side of the bowl and becomes very stiff - cook for about 2 minutes at 
   a time, stirring well in between. 
   Using oven gloves, remove from the oven onto a heat-proof surface. Scrape 
   out the dough with a wooden spoon onto a smooth surface. Allow to cool. 
   If the playdough sticks to your hands or the surface, it hasn't been cooked 
   enough. Return it to the bowl and cook for 1 minute at a time until you 
   have the desired consistency. 

Storing playdough
Playdough needs to be kept in an airtight container to stop it drying out. 
A polythene food bag inside an airtight box or jar is fine. It doesn't 
need to be kept in the fridge. If left exposed to the air, a salty crust 
forms on it. You can rescue it by kneading it thoroughly with a little 
cooking oil.

http://pramclub.ghbc.org.uk/
©GHBC 2000