Rolling Out Dough

A whole post on using a rolling pin?

Yes, indeed. I used to manhandle my doughs and I thought the sticking was inevitable. But the more baking videos I watched, the more I realized that I wasn’t doing things the way the pros did. They used less flour, and they moved their dough around a lot, using short little strokes and taking their time about it. I tried their method, and lo and behold, everything went better than before. Less sticking, more even dough thickness, and an easier time working with pie crust and bread doughs. It totally changed how I felt about using a rolling pin.

Okay, so how do I do it?

Start by flouring everything properly. This means sprinkling a light, even layer over your countertop, both sides of your dough, and rubbing your rolling pin and hands with flour. I also take a handful of flour out of my bag and leave it in a little pile to the side of my work surface so if I need to re-coat something, I don’t have to put sticky fingers back in the bag.

The single best thing you can do is be gentle with your dough. Your goal is to gently and slowly stretch it into shape, not squash it into submission. The harder you press with a rolling pin, the more likely things are to stick. Use light, short strokes and gently rotate and move the dough around often. This ensures an even thickness and lets you spot sticking right when it starts. Be patient; the process takes a while.

Using light pressure can be tricky if you’re taking that dough straight out of the fridge, which most recipes call for. Chilling is great—it firms up your dough, particularly if it has butter in it, and cold dough holds its shape better and sticks less. But cold pie crust is rock-hard and impossible to roll gently. Let it warm for a few minutes on the counter before slowly starting to work it. It will get easier and more pliable as you go.

Expect to use more flour as you roll. Check for sticky spots often and lightly sprinkle more on the counter, dough, or your rolling pin as needed.

Troubleshooting

If your dough does stick, use a pancake turner or a bench scraper to pry it up from the counter, dust that spot with flour, and keep going. If it gets very sticky and very soft, pop it back in the fridge to firm up again (about 30 minutes) before you finish rolling.

If your dough tears, pinch it together and keep going.

If a bread dough keeps springing back on you, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes, then try again. The springiness is from a protein called gluten. The strands bind tightly to one another when you agitate bread dough, but if you leave it be for a while, they will relax and stretch. That said, bread is a stubborn beast to shape, so don’t sweat it if it’s not perfect.

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