Proper Technique for Rolling Sugar Cookies
I have an old recipe of my grandmother's for sugar cookies and I'd love for them to turn out just like hers. However, whenever I try to roll out the dough, I find I either can't get it thin enough, it is too sticky or it ends up tearing. What are the proper tools and techniques I need to roll out sugar cookie dough?
Best Answer
There's a lot of things that can throw off baking recipes --
- Regional variations in flour hardness. 'All purpose' flour from the US South tends to be softer than brands from other areas.
- The humidity and temperature.
- Altitude (affects the boiling point of water, which will require adjusting baking times and possibly leavening agents)
- How you measure your flour -- I'm lazy and use scoop & sweep -- my mom, however, would use spoon and sweep.
- Size of your eggs. Most recipes in the US assume 'Large' eggs unless otherwise specified.
- Type of salt used. Most recipes in the US assume table salt unless otherwise specified.
- How you mix the dough, and how long you mix it.
- How long you rest the dough before rolling out.
In your case, for rolled doughs:
- temperature of the dough. (you want it chilled, but not so cold that it crumbles)
- work surface / rolling pin material (specific to your problem, will affect how much things stick, and how they retain/transfer heat)
You might also want to see Baking 911 : Cookies Problems and Baking 911 : Rolled Cookies
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How long should sugar cookie dough sit out before rolling?
Let the cookies cool for 1 minute to firm up a bit before removing them.How do you roll out perfect cookie dough?
Not chilling the dough. \u2192 Follow this tip: Chill sugar cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or in the freezer for 15 minutes. The dough will be so much easier to work with! It will roll out nicely, and if you're making cut-outs, chilled dough will help you get clean, sharp edges.Why wont my sugar cookies roll out?
The ideal thickness to roll out your sugar cookie dough is about 1/4"--that way, they'll be tough enough to be handled and decorated, but thin enough to stay a little crunchy.More answers regarding proper Technique for Rolling Sugar Cookies
Answer 2
The dough and everything with which it comes in contact must be chilled as much as possible. Chill the dough thoroughly. Throw the rolling pin in there, too. Once you take everything out, work quickly so that it doesn't warm up before you're done.
We experimented with a new cookie dough recipe last Christmas and I ended up rolling it into thick sheets and then putting it in the freezer for a while before I finished rolling it out.
Answer 3
Maybe try rolling the dough out between sheets of cling film
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