|
|
Article: KITCHENALIA: THE ROLLING PIN
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- October 29, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1995 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
IN THE beginning, we flattened dough with our hands. This is
still the quickest way of shaping a few scones, or flat bread like
focaccia. It's also the traditional way of making a raised pie. A
lump of hot-water crust dough is pinched and squeezed upwards with
the fingers - just like a potter makes a hand-built pot - until the
sheet of pastry is large enough to enclose the filling.
Occasionally, a smooth stone was used to flatten a dough - such
as for oatcakes - that was too stiff to be worked easily with the
hand. When someone employed a slim cylindrical log of wood instead,
the first rolling pin was devised. In time, the wood was shaped and
sanded to produce a smooth surface that would ...