New Rolling Pin = Pecan Pie

[J13]

I debated posting this in “Baking Banter,” “Equipment” or “Pastries” but “Desserts” won out. I’ve been lusting after this (pricy) rolling pin for almost three months and finally broke down and bought it. My husband took one look at it and dubbed it “Excalibur!’ It’s hand made by some wood carver in Pasadena. The wood is “Wenge” sometimes called African Rosewood; in its natural state it’s more brown, but when given an oil finish it turns, well, this dark. And yes, it’s that long and weighty.

Of course, once I got it home, I had to try it out, right? Take it for a spin....this calls for pie crust and that means...

NorCal’s pie crust recipe! I’d been wanting to try that out, too. Good thing my new rolling pin gave me an excuse to make it.

Report on the rolling pin: Sometimes you buy something that looks awesome but performs badly. I can happily say that this rolling pin isn’t just lovely to look at, but lovely to use. It did a fantastic job creating a nice thin crust, and it was almost like teflon—I used plenty of flour, but that hasn’t kept pie dough from sticking to my rolling pin before. This time, barely any stick. And afterwards...all the flour and such washed off easy, leaving the pin, once again, satiny smooth. I loved the weight and feel of it.

As for the crust....NorCal, it’s amazing. Easiest and fastest I ever made, and one of the few that rolled out with no tears, barely any sticking, and could be lifted right into the pie plate, no rolling it onto the pin, no falling apart, nothing. And yes, it baked up flakey and light as promised. Only problem was one I caused. As you can see, I completely messed up on the crimping. It’s too thick, too high and, well, I futzed with it too much. Which is why it looks a lot like a ruffle on a skirt. (So embarrassing!) I was actually amazed that silly ruffle didn’t burn (yet another awesome trait of this pie crust. It was 50 minutes in a 350 oven and yet the exterior crust never got darker than a golden brown. Magic crust indeed!). But thanks to my carelessness, the ruffle—unlike the tender underlying crust—turned out a little crunchy along its edges.

Next time, I will trim and crimp this pie dough with respect so it can crisp to perfection as it wanted to this time, and would have if I hadn’t made it so thick and...ruffle-y.

As for the filling...the perfectionist inside of me thinks it a tad over-done, but the husband thinks it perfect and is in pecan pie heaven. This was the pecan pie I mentioned that uses Lyles Golden syrup rather than corn syrup. IMHO, It really has a superior flavor thanks to that—lighter, and far less tooth-ache sweet. It lets the pecans shine. It’s hubbie’s fave kind of pie, so, of course that was the one I had to make.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Wow that’s real a beautiful rolling pin. And rolling pins are very personal. What feels right for one baker doesn’t feel right for another. I’m embarrassed by the number of pins I have and the fact that I only use two of them because the “feel right,”.

 

[J13]

Wow that’s real a beautiful rolling pin. And rolling pins are very personal.

You know, that's something I hadn't thought about. So far, all the rolling pins I've owned (and I got rid of a few not long ago) were either gaget-y (it holds ice water!) or "everyone has one this size and shape" or novelty (I did not get rid of my Shaker rolling pin—two rollers, very inventive but needs a huge amount of room to roll).

Up till recently, I had such a small amount of space to roll out dough that the one requirement for a rolling pin was that it needed to be small. But then I got that bread board.

And then I got this rolling pin and yes, it's finally one that I think is "personal" rather than gaget-y or novelty or just a kitchen tool. I know the carpenter has made others like this one, but this one is still "one of a kind" in the grain of the wood and all, and being hand-made. And it's a rolling pin that needs to be on display.

I do worry that my husband is going to want to use it to fight crime....it does have the look of a formidable weapon of justice.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

You know, that's something I hadn't thought about. So far, all the rolling pins I've owned (and I got rid of a few not long ago) were either gaget-y (it holds ice water!) or "everyone has one this size and shape" or novelty (I did not get rid of my Shaker rolling pin—two rollers, very inventive but needs a huge amount of room to roll).

Up till recently, I had such a small amount of space to roll out dough that the one requirement for a rolling pin was that it needed to be small. But then I got that bread board.

And then I got this rolling pin and yes, it's finally one that I think is "personal" rather than gaget-y or novelty or just a kitchen tool. I know the carpenter has made others like this one, but this one is still "one of a kind" in the grain of the wood and all, and being hand-made. And it's a rolling pin that needs to be on display.

I do worry that my husband is going to want to use it to fight crime....it does have the look of a formidable weapon of justice.

I think the rolling pin is the most personal tool a baker owns. I was watching a video once of a highly trained French baker. He was using his grandmother’s old America rolling pin that was on ball bearings. He said it just felt right to him.

Julia Child hated the America rolling pin. During one episode of her show she declared it a “toy” as she tossed it over her shoulder.

I use my American ball bearing rolling pin for some things. My Italian pins for others. I’m starting to use my Italian pens more and more though.

When I was at my sisters house making pie we used her lefse board to roll out the dough. I like using a pastry cloth, but it’s a pain to keep it taped to the counter. I found her lefse board was really a convenient way to roll out dough.
So I think I might buy a lefse set up with the board and grill. And start using the board for dough. I make pretty decent lefse and it’s a favorite of my BIL and son. So it’s not like the equipment will go to waste for lefse making either.

 

[J13]

Julia Child hated the America rolling pin. During one episode of her show she declared it a “toy” as she tossed it over her shoulder.

Speaking for myself, I have agree with Julia. I like to "feel" what the roller is doing to the dough and I don't really get that feedback with a pin that has ball bearings.

One exception to this opinion is my beloved Shaker rolling pin—but there we go mostly for novelty, not "it's personal." Shaker bakers had to make lots of pies, biscuits, etc. (that's what comes of living in a religious commune). Ever inventive and crafty, one of them came up with double rollers, meaning less "strokes"—because one stroke does double duty. So, faster and easer to make up all that pie dough (supposedly). I can say it's fun to use, but I make pie once every few months. I don't do it enough to know if my Shaker pin = faster/easier. See photo below.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Speaking for myself, I have agree with Julia. I like to "feel" what the roller is doing to the dough and I don't really get that feedback with a pin that has ball bearings.

One exception to this opinion is my beloved Shaker rolling pin—but there we go mostly for novelty, not "it's personal." Shaker bakers had to make lots of pies, biscuits, etc. (that's what comes of living in a religious commune). Ever inventive and crafty, one of them came up with double rollers, meaning less "strokes"—because one stroke does double duty. So, faster and easer to make up all that pie dough (supposedly). I can say it's fun to use, but I make pie once every few months. I don't do it enough to know if my Shaker pin = faster/easier. See photo below.

What I like about the ball bearing rolling is the weight. So it gets the dough rolled out fast. But these days I’m preferring my smaller Italian rolling. I think because my joints are stiff and sore, and the smaller roller is a lot easier for me to handle these days.

Your new roller really is beautiful. It’s an art piece as well as a functional piece.

The Shaker pin is very unique. And yes I would definitely put it up there with the novelty pin. It’s pretty busy looking, so I don’t think I’d be able to use a roller like that. I need to see what I’m working on.

I think when you bake a lot you become quite efficient with your rolling. I remember when I first started baking it would take me forever to roll out dough. Now I can I have a couple of batches made and in the refrigerator within 15 minutes. And rolling it out is fast. The only thing that slows me down in my house is the heat.

 

[retired baker]

I just weighed my commercial alum rolling pin, 6 lbs. 25 inches , 4 in diam.
The american pin is far superior, it gives a decided mechanical advantage.
It doesn't matter in home baking, I'll grab the nearest tool, a wine bottle is good enough if it saves me from walking across the kitchen. I work hard at being lazy.

I was trained by a French pastry chef who used the American pin, never a French pin.
The straight French pin or baton was used exclusively for pounding cold butter.
He said the French won't use the American pin because its American and the French are stubborn but his language was a lot more graphic. He was more open minded and saw how clever the American design is.

Early in my career I worked with a few old timer American bakers, they had a poor sense of taste but the production techniques they invented were ingenious. They beat the French like a drum. Those guys are all gone now.