You Can Dough It!

Heat the oven to 300°. Put the 4 cups flour and salt in the bowl. Stir with the wooden spoon until well mixed. Stir in the warm water. Stir in the food color or tempera powder, if you like.

Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons flour over a clean surface (such as a kitchen counter or breadboard). Put dough on surface. Shape dough into a ball, using floured hands. Knead dough by folding and pushing with the palms of your hands, then make a quarter turn. Repeat these steps to knead 5 to 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap dough tightly in the plastic wrap.

Take out only as much dough as you will use at one time because dough dries out quickly. Use the dough to make fun shapes.

Put shapes on the cookie sheet. Bake for about 1 hour or until dough is dry and just begins to brown. The bake time will depend on size of shapes. If more bake time is needed, turn shapes over and continue baking until dough is dry.

Use the pot holders to take cookie sheet out of oven. Take shapes off cookie sheet, using the pancake turner and put them on the wire cooling rack. Cool shapes before painting.

Paint the shapes with the tempera paint or watercolors, if you like. Spray the sealing spray on shapes to keep them longer. Store unbaked dough tightly wrapped in the refrigerator up to 30 days.