How to make salt dough shamrocks
Celebrate St Patricks Day with these easy salt dough shamrocks – they’re easy to make in batches and make wonderful gifts, too.
Celebrate the luck of the Irish with these easy salt dough shamrocks. Once baked, paint with acrylic or poster paint, and sprinkle with glitter while the paint is still wet. Check out our experts top tips for making salt dough.
You will need:
Plain flour (2 parts plus extra for dusting)
Salt (1 part)
Water (1 part)
Acrylic or poster paint
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Biodegradable glitter
String
Large bowl
Rolling pin
Baking parchment
Baking tray
Shamrock-shaped biscuit cutter
Step 1: Preparing the Dough
Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Mix two parts plain flour with one part each salt and water in a large bowl. Once the dough starts to come together, knead the mixture briefly with your hands. If it feels sticky, sprinkle in a bit more flour, or add a splash more water if it's too crumbly.
Step 2: Cutting and Shaping Shamrocks
Once the dough has come together, roll it out on a lightly floured work surface using a rolling pin until it is 5mm-1cm thick. Stamp out as many shamrocks as you can using the biscuit cutter, then poke a hole in the top of each using a skewer or straw if you're planning to hang them.
Step 3: Baking the Shamrocks
Line a baking tray with baking parchment and arrange the shamrocks on top in a single layer. Bake for 2-3 hrs on the bottom shelf of the oven until the dough has hardened all the way through. Leave to cool completely.
Step 4: Decorating and Hanging
Decorate the shamrocks with acrylic or poster paint, then sprinkle over glitter while the paint is still wet, if you like. Leave to dry completely, then thread string through the holes (if using) and secure with a knot before hanging.
