How-To Tuesday : Roll Out Dough

My family is a strong believer in making our own crusts for pies, so I learned to roll dough at a young age. I think there is only one pre-made, store-bought crust that my aunt will ever consider buying and that's if she is running behind or wants to have a back-up dessert prepared for an unexpected visitor. (I believe it's from Trader Joes)

Rolling dough really isn't that difficult, but it does take some practice to be successful. I remember my husband helping me once with dough that I had prepared and he tried to force it flat all at once with the rolling pin....sometimes I forget the things I learned growing up are alien to those who never baked...

First, you want to ensure that your dough is chilled. It will be easier to roll out. Also, make sure you have your pie dish near you so you can easily transfer the dough to your dish. You will want to lightly dust your counter or surface with flour to keep the dough from sticking, as well as your rolling pin. Try not to leave too much flour on your surface, as it will stick to your dough and dry it out when baking. Next, pat the dough with your hands to shape it into a thin patty shape. Place the rolling pin in the center of the dough and start rolling. You will want to apply pressure in the center of the dough and then less pressure toward the outer edge. Once the dough is pretty flat, you will want to apply even amounts of pressure across the whole piece. You always want to roll from the center of the dough outward.

Don't try to make the dough flat in your first roll. You want to work the dough into the desired thickness. If the dough begins to stick to your rolling pin, feel free to add more flour to the pin and even to the top of the dough. You want to roll the dough while it is still chilled. Once rolled out, place dough in your pie dish and remove the extra dough that overflows.

Seems simple enough, right?

**Quick tip for transferring the dough from your counter to the pie dish...Fold your rolled out dough in half, and then again in half so you have what looks like a quarter of the dough. Next, take your folded dough and place the *point* in the center of your dish. Begin to unfold until completely covering the dish. This process will ensure a successful transfer without any tears or rips in the dough.