Can You Microwave Salt Dough? [Ultimate GUIDE + 6 Steps]

Originally Created on: May 16, 2023 @ 10:55 am

Can you microwave salt dough? Salt dough crafts are a fun and creative way for children and adults to make decorations and novelties. Conventionally, salt dough creations are baked in the oven to harden and dry them out.

Salt dough can indeed be microwaved as an alternative to traditional baking. The flour, salt, and water components work well with microwave radiation, allowing the dough to cook quickly and evenly from the inside out.

It makes them particularly well-suited for salt dough craft projects, especially those involving children.

Users should monitor the dough closely when microwaving salt dough to avoid overcooking. Read on for more details.

Table of Content

Can You Microwave Salt Dough?

Salt dough is a type of modeling clay made from a mixture of flour, salt, and water. The dough can be molded into various shapes and then hardened by baking or air-drying.

But can you microwave salt dough? Yes. Microwaving the salt dough is an alternative to traditional baking that provides benefits in terms of speed and convenience.

The internal components are compatible with microwave radiation. Both salt and flour absorb microwave energy well without becoming damaged.

When exposed to microwave radiation, the water in the salt dough heats up rapidly and causes the dough to cook evenly from the inside out.

This cooks the dough thoroughly without burning or damaging the material.

Microwaving salt dough offers the primary advantage of drastically reducing cooking time compared to baking in an oven.

The compact nature of microwave ovens also makes them more convenient for salt dough projects, particularly those done by children.

Can Salt Dough Be Dried In The Microwave?

While traditional baking is the most common method for hardening salt dough creations, microwaving offers an efficient alternative that drastically reduces drying time.

The high-frequency electromagnetic waves of a microwave work by exciting the water molecules within the salt dough, causing them to vibrate and generate internal heat.

As long as the salt dough pieces are not too thick, this internal heat can effectively cook the dough from the inside out in just 1-4 minutes on high power.

However, microwaving salt dough requires closer monitoring than oven baking due to the concentrated nature of microwave heat. Different parts of complex shapes may dry at different rates.

How To Dry Salt Dough In A Microwave

If you want to take advantage of microwaves’ fast and easy air drying, you want to do it right. These steps will help you dry salt dough in a microwave for your next project.

Materials

Salt dough ingredients (flour, salt, water)
Microwave-safe plate

Mix the Salt Dough

Combine 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, and enough water to form a firm dough. Knead the dough on a flat surface until it is well blended and no longer sticky.

Shape the Salt Dough Project

Once the dough is ready, form it into the desired shape for your project. You can make shapes like animals, letters, numbers, or holiday themes. Make sure the pieces are no thicker than 1/2 inch.

Place on Microwave-safe Plate

Transfer the salt dough pieces onto a microwave-safe plate. The plate will prevent the dough from sticking to the microwave surface during cooking. After microwaving, you may also use wax or parchment paper underneath for easier removal.

Microwave on High Power

Place the plate of salt dough shapes into the microwave and set the microwave to high power. Start with microwaving the dough for 1-2 minutes, checking the progress.

Microwave in additional 30-second increments until the dough is completely firm and dry to the touch. Times will vary depending on the microwave wattage and number/thickness of shapes.

Let Cool Completely Before Handling

Even though the outside may feel dry, the inside can still be moist and soft immediately after removing it from the microwave.

Let the dried salt dough cool fully at room temperature. Humidity can cause the freshly dried dough to reabsorb moisture over time.

Store Finished Pieces in an Air-Tight Container

Seal dried salt dough shapes in plastic bags, plastic containers with lids, or Ziploc bags to maintain their shape. Paint or decorate as desired using acrylic paints thin enough to penetrate the dried dough.

How Long To Microwave Salt Dough

The amount of time required to microwave salt dough depends on several factors, including the thickness and density of your dough shape, the amount of dough used, and the power level of your microwave oven.

In general, you will need to start with shorter durations and increase the time in stages to ensure your dough stays upright.

Most recipes recommend starting by microwaving salt dough on high power (100%) for 1 minute to begin drying out thinner shapes.

Denser balls or plaques of dough may require closer to 2 minutes on high power as an initial step.

After the first 1 to 2 minutes, remove the dough and check its firmness and color. The dough will feel slightly firmer and dry to the touch on top while lightening in color.

If the dough is still soft and pliable after the first stage, return it to the microwave and continue cooking in 30-second to 1-minute increments.

How Do You Dry Salt Dough Quickly?

There are other methods that allow you to dry your salt dough shapes quickly so you can move on to the decorating and displaying part of your project other than using a microwave oven. They include:

Dehydrator

A dehydrator set between 100-125°F can dry salt dough in 4-6 hours. The gentle, even heat helps the dough harden and retain its shape. Stack pieces on dehydrator trays spaced apart, flipping halfway through the drying cycle.

Oven at Low Temperature

Baking salt dough in an oven set between 175-200°F can dry in 1-2 hours. Use an oven thermometer to maintain accuracy.

Thicker pieces will require longer times. Check periodically and remove from the oven once the dough is dry and cool to the touch.

Air Dry

The slowest method is simply leaving the shaped salt dough to air dry at room temperature.

This can take up to 24 hours but requires no special equipment. Place dough pieces on a rack to allow for airflow. Drying time varies with shape thickness and ambient humidity.

Stack Between Towels

To wick moisture out more quickly, place shaped salt dough between layers of paper towels and change the towels every 30-60 minutes. The towels will absorb excess moisture, speeding up the drying process.

Conclusion

Can you microwave salt dough? Salt dough can be microwaved, dried in the microwave, or air-dried through various methods.

The main benefit of microwaving salt dough is the drastically reduced cooking time compared to traditional oven baking.

Close monitoring lets you quickly achieve desired results to suit any salt dough project.