10 Techniques for Keeping Dough from Sticking to a Rolling Pin

It might be annoying to constantly scrape dough off the rolling pin while attempting to make a beautiful pie crust. Fortunately, there are a few simple techniques for keeping dough from sticking that will have you rolling flawlessly flat dough every time in no time.

There are 10 methods for preventing dough from sticking to a rolling pin.

1. Coat it in flour
2. Chill the dough
3. Coat in non-stick spray
4. Cover with wax paper
5. Use a non-stick cover
6. Keep the rolling pin clean
7. Check the condition
8. Buy a non-stick rolling pin
9. Use a pastry cloth
10. Coat dough with oil

Anyone who bakes on a daily basis is familiar with the problem of clumps of dough clinging to the rolling pin when flattening dough. Solving this problem is straightforward if you know a few basic strategies, and you’ll soon be rolling dough like a master.

How to Stop Dough from Sticking to a Rolling Pin

Rolling pins are an important component of culinary equipment. Many of us have great recollections of witnessing meals being carefully prepared with a trusty old wooden rolling pin as children.

Rolling pins may survive for centuries, and the majority of the earlier models were constructed of wood. As the hardwood pores and grooves become increasingly exposed, the formerly flawlessly smooth rolling surface might become rough.

Old wooden rolling pins can hold the memory of hundreds of carefully prepared meals. The surface wear and tear may not be obvious to the human eye, but small particles in dough attach to uneven surfaces, causing it to clump and stick to the rolling pin.

Traditional wooden rolling pins are typically composed of a cylindrical piece of hardwood with two connected handles. Rolling pins nowadays are constructed of a variety of materials, and some even have textured surfaces for drawing patterns on dough.

Sticky dough might be difficult to deal with even if your rolling pin isn’t made of wood. Making a rolling surface that is as smooth and dry as possible reduces the likelihood of dough clinging to it when it is rolled.

Many ways for preventing dough from sticking to a rolling pin depend on plugging the pores on the rolling pin’s surface before rolling the dough. The alternative way is to establish a physical barrier between the dough and the rolling pin’s surface.

Let’s go through several techniques for keeping dough from sticking to a rolling pin.

1 – Coat the Rolling Pin in Flour

The most common way to keep dough from sticking to a rolling pin is to cover the whole surface with flour. The goal is to fill the microscopic pores on the rolling pin’s surface with a dry, nonstick coating.

Most bakers have a little flour on hand when rolling dough and first coat the area they are working on. Then, using the palm of your hand, rub flour over the rolling pin’s surface. Repeat as needed when the dough begins to adhere to the rolling pin.

Dusting the rolling pin with flour works great, but it works even better if you first clean the rolling pin’s surface with a moist cloth. The surface should then be instantly coated with flour.

The dampness from the cloth allows the flour to stick significantly more easily than it would if used on a dry rolling pin. It should be noted that the cloth should only be moist enough to allow the flour to adhere and should not produce a wet or sticky surface.

Be careful not to overwork the dough by adding too much flour. Cookies with too much flour are typically dry or brittle, so merely cover the rolling pin’s surface and avoid adding too much more flour to the mixture.

2 – Chill the Dough to Prevent It from Sticking

Because the elements in the mixture begin to disintegrate, most dough gets sticky as it heats. Of course, that happens inside the oven, but keeping the dough as cold as possible when rolling it will keep it from sticking to the rolling pin.

To avoid the dough from sticking to the rolling pin, split it into smaller pieces and work with one at a time. Keep the leftover dough refrigerated in the refrigerator as you roll each portion.

If you’re using a metal or marble rolling pin, chilling it will have the same nonstick effect as cooling the dough. Refrigerate your rolling pin for a few hours before using it to produce a rolling surface that room-temperature dough will not easily stick to.

3 – Coat the Rolling Pin in Non-Stick Spray

To keep the dough from sticking to your hands, rolling pin, and work area, spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Nonstick sprays even come in a variety of tastes, so when baking, choose a sweet spray or a savory, olive oil-based nonstick spray.

When the dough has been cooled, using a nonstick spray to cover the outside of your rolling pin works exceptionally nicely.

4 – Cover the Dough sith Wax Paper

A layer of wax paper between the dough and the rolling pin is a reliable way for getting flawlessly flat dough that never adheres to the rolling pin. A big sheet of wax paper should be placed under the dough to prevent it from adhering to the area you are working on.

Place a sheet of wax paper on top of the dough to be rolled out. The wax paper should be big enough to fit the size of the flattened dough.

Fortunately, you may store and reuse the wax paper many times. Wax paper may be cleaned with a cloth, dried, kept, and reused as long as there are no crumbs, dough, or debris adhering to it.

5 – Use a Non-stick Rolling Pin Cover

There are rolling pin covers available that can instantaneously modify the surface of your rolling pin so that it glides over different kinds of dough that you may be rolling.

Each time you work, just slide these convenient disposable liners over the cylinder of the rolling pin to provide a sanitary, non-stick coating.

Rolling pin covers available in a variety of sizes, so choose one that fits snugly against the barrel of your rolling pin. Some coverings are smooth, while others need be floured to resemble a pastry cloth.

6 – Wash the Rolling Pin Regularly

Rolling pins, particularly traditional wooden ones, should never be submerged in water for an extended period of time. This may result in irreversible damage or even cracking of the surface.

Rolling pins, on the other hand, should be carefully cleaned after each usage. Leaving flour or moisture on the surface may cause it to become sticky, and new dough is more prone to adhere to the surface.

After each usage, a moist towel is generally all that is required to clean a rolling pin. Every few weeks or whenever it gets particularly encrusted, a rolling pin should be cleansed in warm, sudsy water.

Any little parts of dough adhered to the rolling pin must be removed before hand-washing, rinsing, and drying. If the dough is stubborn, wipe the surface with a plastic scouring pad.

A rolling pin should never be put in the dishwasher or wet. This will degrade the rolling surface, causing dough to adhere to it more easily.

The rolling pin must be fully dried after cleaning before being kept. This will prevent mold from growing on the wood and causing damage to the smooth-rolling surface.

7 – Check the Condition of the Rolling Pin

Rolling pins are cooking equipment that often have emotional meaning. The strong feel of the hardwood roller in our hands evokes recollections of joyful days and dinners long since forgotten.

The quality of a rolling pin’s surface deteriorates with regular usage and age, as it does with other things. The once flawless surface may have acquired rough spots.

Because dough is more prone to adhere to rough surfaces, keeping your rolling pin from nicks and scrapes will help it last longer. Make sure it’s totally dry before storing it, and never store it near sharp tools that might harm it.

Wooden rolling pins that have acquired rough areas might be difficult to repair. However, you may use a natural food-grade mineral oil to season and smooth the surface of a rough rolling pin.

After coating the rolling pin, polish it with a clean cloth to seal all of the small pores on the surface. This approach is not always effective, and if the dough continues to adhere to the roller, you might try utilizing a barrier method or changing the rolling pin.

Old rolling pins may be used to create fantastic kitchen décor pieces, so there’s no need to toss one away after the surface has gotten too rough to use. Here are some amazing display ideas.

8 – Invest in a Non-stick Rolling Pin

The contemporary world has delivered many inventions, including the modest wooden rolling pin. Because wooden surfaces are porous and easy for dough to cling to, new nonstick rolling pins with ultra-smooth rolling surfaces have been developed.

Stainless steel, silicone, Teflon-coated, and even solid marble rolling pins are available. These cutting-edge kitchen equipment are simple to clean and significantly less prone to adhere to dough.

The marble and steel rolling pins may even be stored in the refrigerator before use, keeping the dough cold and non-sticky while being rolled.

Although contemporary rolling pins successfully prevent dough from adhering to the surface, they are less durable than traditional wooden rolling pins. Most are guaranteed for a few months, but a quality hardwood rolling pin cared for correctly may last a lifetime.

9 – Use a Pastry Cloth to Create a Non-stick Surface

Pasty cloths are typically composed of durable cotton fabric and are designed to produce a nonstick surface underneath different kinds of dough. Dust them lightly with flour to provide a nonstick surface for the dough.

If your rolling pin is sticking to the dough, just lay another lightly dusted pastry cloth on top of it before rolling it. Between the rolling pin and the dough, the fabric will act as a barrier.

Pastry cloths have the virtue of being much more reusable than wax paper. After each usage, the cloths merely need to be dusted or cleaned.

10 – Coat Dough in Oil Before Rolling

This suggestion is only for pizza or bread dough. Apply a little coating of neutral vegetable oil or olive oil to the whole surface of the ball of dough before rolling it out if it is very sticky and difficult to roll.

Before kneading and rolling the dough, coat it with oil to keep it from sticking to your hands and the inside of the bowl.

Final Thoughts

Rolling pins are a vital tool in most kitchens, but they may be difficult to use without pulling up chunks of dough. There are various methods for preventing dough from adhering to a rolling pin, the majority of them include smoothing off the surface or establishing a barrier between the dough and the rolling pin. People also enjoy How to Make Chewy Pizza Dough