WWA Info Exchange

Hey Folks,

I just finished a class in making croissants from a local baker, and discovered the virtues of several typed of different rolling pins. So of course, I took measurements of all of them so that I could reproduce them, and maybe add a personal touch or two.

The first is the classic tapered 20" pin. My pin though, has scored lines every 2" to aid in correctly sizing, and shaping the dough for the process.

I'll have more photos as I get around to reproducing the other pins we used in class.

Cheers,
Tom

_________________
"There is no path to peace, peace is the path."
Mohandas K. Ghandi

Good job Tom, nice and useful.

Have a great day.

Mornin' Tom These are known as french rolling pins preferred by pastry chefs the world over !!
Looks great .... must assume you ate the evidence !!

Very Nice! My Grandmother was from Italy. She made home made ravioli every Sunday. Up at 5 AM rolling out the dough. She had a 3 foot rolling pin so she could use the whole table to roll as huge piece of dough to fill with meat and cheese. (no pasta machine for her!) Funny she never ate the ones with cheese,, just the meat ones, but the kids loved the cheese ones!

Nice project and you brought back the memories!

_________________
"To all those who work come moments of beauty unseen by the rest of the world." Norman Maclean

Why are they tapered? never saw one like that

Hey Paul,

The taper allows you to "steer" the dough. If you haven't used one before though, it takes a little practice because it steers with every stoke, whether you intended it to or not. They're also good for very stiff doughs (or weak chefs) because all the pressure is concentrated in a small contact area.

Buon appetito,
Tom

_________________
"There is no path to peace, peace is the path."
Mohandas K. Ghandi

Concentrating pressure wants an oval (continuous curve) more than a taper, if my experience is worth anything. I am the designated doughmeister for perogi at our house, and I find the oval superior to a massive flat or a pastry taper.

Hey George,

Well, if truth be told, the pin I made is actually an ovoid shape. The shape is not a linear taper but rather an exponential curve. It does create an oval pastry if not steered correctly.

Croissants require considerably more precision, in shaping the dough, than any other baking I've ever done. Laminating the dough requires that the edges line up as perfectly as possible, because any errors get compounded in the next fold. During the class we used three types of pins, the taper I showed, a straight pin, and a skinny tapered pin. Each had its moment to shine.

Cheers,
Tom

_________________
"There is no path to peace, peace is the path."
Mohandas K. Ghandi