DIY Gluten Free Cloud Dough
Sensory play is huge these days. I played with my share of beans and corn and things when I was a kid but adults these days have really stepped up their game. With a little bit of thought and tons of ingenuity moms, dads, and people who just like kiddos are coming up with fantastic ideas to stimulate minds while keeping little hands busy.
And I was asked to make some myself. My first thought was to put a spin on it somehow but I started off with the same basic ingredients… all-purpose flour and baby oil. Since I’m Celiac and therefore gluten intolerant I had to make up my batch wearing gloves. BUT the next day I woke up with a rash in my nose and it seemed that I just kept finding flour all over my office and workspace. Where was this stuff coming from?!
So I tossed that business out the window and decided that I was going to go the gluten-free route. Not only would it be healthier for me to work with, it would also benefit all those itty bitty celiacs out there. Now a part of the reason I went with AP flour was simply because of the price difference. I mean we’re talking 3 cents an ounce versus 54 cents an ounce. That is insane when you’re going to be just playing with it. I went home dejected and then loaded up and headed to the Asian supermarket.
The Asian grocery store has been a boon to me as a Celiac. There are tons of foods that contain no wheat whatsoever and they have readily prepared foods that are so tasty and so amazingly gluten-free. I go there all of the time and have tried tons of interesting foods as a result… ever heard of pandan-flavored tapioca cake? It’s a dream!
There I found the rice flour at 63 cents for 14 ounces. Now THAT is more like it and only a cent higher than the all-purpose stuff at the superstore!
Since I made both I did notice some differences and I’ll share those along the way. Remember you can totally use all-purpose flour.
The ratio for regular wheat flour to baby oil is 1:8 and that works super well. That’s not enough for rice flour though for some reason.
Start with 1/4 of baby oil and mix together. You can use a fork to start it and your hands to finish it up.
Keep adding baby oil in small increments until you can form something that will hold shape by squeezing the dough in your hand and letting go.
I truly lost track of how much oil I added but it may have been as much as 1/2 a cup in the end.
And there you have it… gluten-free cloud dough for practically the same price as regular cloud dough!
A crafter since her earliest years, Allison spends a little time every day making something. She crafts, sews, paints, glues things onto other things, and is a firm believer that a life spent creating is a life worth living. Visit Allison’s blog, Dream {a Little} BIGGER.