Salt Dough Cross

Kids young and old will love to make and decorate these crosses! They can be hung up or placed in your prayer space on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross or Good Friday. The beads can be substituted with whatever will withstand being baked in the oven, such as shells or small stones. This makes four larger and four smaller crosses.

To decorate

• Beads, shells, stones
• Acrylic paint in colours of your choice
• Glitter or sequins
• Craft sealant such as modge podge
• Ribbon or string, to hang

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour
• 1/2 cup salt
• 1.25 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup water
• Food colouring of your choice

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 120°C and line two baking trays with baking paper.

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Pour in oil. Gradually add water, stirring mixture with a wooden spoon until combined.

Step 2

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it and then divide it into two balls. Put a hole with your thumb in the top of one ball and add a couple of drops of food colouring. Close up the hole and knead the ball again until the colour is evenly mixed through.

Roll both balls of dough out to a thickness of around 5-7mm. Use a cookie cutter or place our template (download below) on the dough and cut out the shape with a small sharp knife.

Use a chopstick or skewer to make a hole at the tops if you want to be able to hang them. Use up all the dough by gathering and rolling out the off-cuts. Place the crosses on the trays and bake them for around 2.5 hours or until they’ve dried out and are quite hard. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.