So tell me what sort of rolling pin you use? I shall confess to having a love hate relationship with rolling pins, I’ve found they’re a baker specific item and we all have a favourite, even if we don’t realise.
For me they can’t have rotating ends otherwise I roll out like a woman deranged, I like a wooden one but it has to be glazed, I’m not keen on pins with turned ends as they mark the pastry, and pins with tapered ends – supposedly to roll a perfect circle, well you need 100 different rolling out techniques! Don’t even get me started on cookie slats and cookie dough rolling frames (and yes I have all of the above!). The absolute best of pins are wooden, well used and years old, they have their own magic non-stick capabilities, unfortunately an item I don’t possess.
I was recently sent a GEFU Exact Rolling Pin to try out, read on to see what I made of it…
This is what it claims:
For precise dough thickness every time.
The Gefu exact rolling pin, rolls the dough precisely to any desired thickness between 2 and 8 mm, quickly & cleanly and essentially without sticking.
Enables the user to roll to a precise thickness.
Adjustable from 2 to 8 mm
Rolling pin has a non-stick coating
Maximum width is 250mm
Price £32.95 Available from good cookshops and online at Haus
Select the desired number of millimetres, and then roll away. Once the dial is consistently connecting with the table top, the desired thick has been achieved.
On testing in The Pink Whisk Kitchen:
The principle of the GEFU Exact Rolling Pin is that you can choose the desired thickness of your dough/pastry. The ends have a dial on with numbers indicating the thickness in mm. You hold the pin with the chosen thickness number facing upwards, put the pin onto the dough and then roll. It’s that simple.
You don’t turn the dial, nor slip on and off different sized discs, the pin does all that for you, you simply place the pin down on the dough with the correct number facing upwards and roll. I have to admit it’s pretty good!
Rolling width is limited to the width of the pin (about 25cm) so it’s not good for larger circles of sugarpaste and is more suited to biscuits doughs and pastry.
The surface of the pin is non-stick coated and on first attempt with biscuit dough I tried without the usual dusting of flour. Although it didn’t stick to the pin it did pull the top surface of the dough so a light dusting of flour is needed in my opinion for the perfect finish. When used with sugarpaste it is completely nonstick.
Rolling is easy and once you start to roll from the correct dial position the dough really does end up the same thickness all over from end to end from the thinnest setting to the thickest.
Pros: It’s ideal for bakers who struggle to roll an even thickness to every edge or work with a lot of biscuit dough and doesn’t require any complicated faffing, adjusting or techniques.
Cons: The size of 25cm is limiting and it’s not completely as non-stick as it claims. Priced at £32.95 it is an investment piece.
Despite the cons I will give this rolling pin space in the baking drawer. I’d have only bought it for myself if my rolling left a lot to be desired.
Could this be the rolling pin you’ve been looking for? Do let me know if you try it out!
Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire
