Perfect a pie recipe with an adjustable rolling pin that helps you roll out dough to the perfect thickness. (2024)

FAQs

How thick should you roll out pie dough? ›

Whatever you do, make sure the thickness is about 1/8-inch for your pie crusts. Thinner will result in rips and tears. Thicker and it won't cook through and get flaky. Flour your work surface, the dough itself, and your rolling pin throughout the process as needed.

Having the dough in a generally circular shape just makes fitting it into the pie plate much easier. Once your dough is rolled out to about the desired size and about 1/8-inch thick, check to see if there are any thicker areas.

Two key pointers to keep in mind when rolling dough: First, always work with well-chilled pastry; otherwise, the dough will stick to the counter and tear. Second, never roll out dough by rolling back and forth over the same section; each time you press on the same spot, more gluten develops that can toughen the dough.

Using rolling pin, roll out dough “disc” into a circle. Every few rolls, turn dough slightly to ensure it's not sticking to counter or pin, and to get the most even circle possible. Roll until it's about 12 inches across (unless directed otherwise) and about 1/8 of an inch thick.

Your dough might be too dry or unevenly hydrated.

When dough doesn't have enough water, or if it's not properly hydrated (more on that below), it will feel and look dry and be prone to cracking.

The Importance of Chilling Your Pie Dough

After you make your pie dough, you should let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or better, 12 to 24 hours, before you roll it out.

You can roll pie dough on any surface when your dough is extremely cold, because the cold dough is what really helps to keep it from sticking. Just a light dusting of flour applied many times is better than one big thick coating of flour. Just add flour as needed as too much flour can toughen the dough.

Cracking Pie Dough.

Have you ever started rolling, only to find out the pie dough starts to crack on you?! Very frustrating. Allow the dough to sit on a floured work surface for about 10 minutes. This way it'll shake off its chill, making it easier to roll out.

The ideal temperature is usually “room temperature”—generally considered to be 68-72°F. Before you roll out the dough, you want the dough disc to feel like a cold stick of butter.

The cardinal rules of pie dough: Keep it cold, work fast, and don't overwork your dough.

Do I really need to rest my pie dough for at least an hour before rolling it out and then freeze my pie crust before baking it off? ›

The chilling time allows the gluten in the dough to relax and prevent shrinking when baking. So I recommend freezing the pie crust for at least 1 hour before pre baking. If you have time, I recommend freezing for even longer—preferably overnight, but for as long as 3 months.

Lift the pin with the pastry around it carefully and turn it to lay out and continue rolling. Again this is done to prevent the pastry from stretching as you lift it which in turn would result in shrinkage in baking. Shortcrust pastry should be rolled out to approx. 3-5 mm.

Using floured rolling pin, roll pastry on lightly floured surface (or pastry board with floured pastry cloth) into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate or 3 inches larger than 10- or 11-inch tart pan.

Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, or up to overnight. Tip: Chilling hardens the fat in the dough, which will help the crust maintain its structure as it bakes. And the short rest before rolling relaxes the dough's gluten, helping prevent a tough crust.