Make a salt dough starfish

 Salt dough starfish

You will need:

  • 60g salt
  • 25g flour plus a little extra for dusting
  • 25ml water
  • Grease proof paper
  • Paint or pens (optional)
Mixing salt dough ingredients

1. Gradually add water to the dry ingredients until it makes a dough – you may not need all the water.

Kneeding the salt dough

2. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.

3. Put a small amount of the dough to one side if you plan on adding raised decorations to your starfish.

Starting to shape the starfish

4. Gently squash the large ball of dough so it starts to spread and roughly shape 5 arms.

Finalising the starfish shape

5. Carefully push each arm outwards, flattening the dough and shaping it however you would like. Perhaps you will try to replicate a specific type of starfish from a reference image?

Adding raised details with spare salt dough

6. Once you are happy with the shape of your starfish you can move onto decorations. Use the dough you put to one side to shape any raised areas, gently pressing them onto the starfish body.

Adding indentation details to the starfish

7. We also used a sharp pencil to create a pattern of indentations.

Finished starfish on a greaseproof paper lined baking tray

8. When you have finished decorating your starfish transfer it onto a baking tray lined with grease proof paper.

9. Bake for 2.5 hours at 100C then leave to fully harden overnight.

10. We think these starfish a beautiful as they are, but if you would like to add some colour use pens or paint to do that now.

Will you have a go at making any other sea creatures from salt dough too? Perhaps you’d like to try a sea urchin shell, a sand dollar or some coral?

A sea urchin shell, a sand dollar and a piece of coral.