Topic: Rolling dough

[Fi5H]

has anyone got any tips about rolling dough for chapattis and naans, i can roll any shape imaginable except round and teardrop lol, if anyone could help a misshaped chapatti maker it would be appreciated..

Andy

[Stephen Lindsay]

Great post Andy, I can roll rounds and tear drops with my eyes closed but I am trying to think about how best to describe what I do.

If its chapattis I take off a piece of dough, roll it into a ball, i.e. round, then flatten the ball on the worktop, so it's still round. Take a rolling pin, roll away from you, turn the dough through 90 degrees, roll again, turn through 90 degrees etc until you have your desired size.

If still not happy you can cheat a little by putting a plate over your dough, run a knife round it - hey perfect circle. For a tear drop, do a circle, then pull one end away from you.

voila

[joshallen2k]

Good question!

To me its all in the dough. If you get a good extensible dough, a few pulls and stretches will get you the shape you want. With a tight dough, it can take forever. I try and avoid a rolling pin if at all possible for naan. Don't know about chapatti.

-- Josh

[JerryM]

Fi5h,

Stephen's method is it for me too. i do use what i call the "pat a cake trick" after rolling out.  it involves passing the dough from one hand to the other and back again but turning the dough through 90 deg each time. the idea is that gravity extends the dough as it hangs from the hand.

it's a difficult thing to describe - there are a few other posts on it - probably best to just try it out. it's a bit like u see in a pizza restaurant but not quite the same.

[Fi5H]

thanks for the tips guys, my wife suggested the "pat a cake trick" i will give that a go.. but the 90 degree rolling tip is where im probably going wrong..

thank again chaps


Andy

[JerryM]

but the 90 degree rolling tip is where im probably going wrong..

Fi5h,

the 90 deg turn during rolling i believe is very important - i don't know why. i do know the dough has a sort of "grain" ie it pulls easily in one direction but not in the other. u'll experience it when u try the past a cake trick.

[Stephen Lindsay]

the 90 degree thing is so that the dough expands in all directions, not just through one. I think "grain" is a good way to describe it.