Things bakers know: This is the easiest way to transfer pie dough

There's a moment in the pie baking process when most bakers hold their breath: the dreaded transfer step pie dough from the table to frying pan. At this point, the dough is carefully rolled out into a delicate pastry sheet. Now it should go into the pan, concentrated and intact. There is a risk that the pie dough will tear if you don't move quickly or safely, but it also requires a gentle touch as it is thin and can tear. So what's the best way to make this move?

our Baking school instructors have the answer and it's simpler than you might think.

The fold is the key

Over the course of making thousands of batches of pie dough, our Baking School instructors have tried many different ways to get that dough into the pan. They have tried methods like rolling the dough around a rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan (never ending up in the center) or using a giant shoulder to slide the batter into the pan (useful, but only when you have the tool handy).

Rolled pie dough folded into qaurtera — Folding the dough into quarters makes it less likely to tear when you move it to the pan.

But as they explain in our Baking School Cookbook, the most reliable way to transfer pie dough is a simple folding maneuver. Here's how to do it:

Once the dough is rolled out to the desired size, dust the top lightly with flour.

Gently fold the dough in four: First, fold the dough in half to make a semicircle, and then in half again to make a triangle with a rounded edge.
Place the prepared pie pan next to the dough so you don't have to move it away. Next, use lightly floured hands to pick up the folded triangle of dough and place it in the center of the pie pan. This placement is key: Make sure the tip of the triangle is exactly in the center of the pie pan.
Gently roll out the dough, one piece at a time. It should open easily and center in your pie pan – without fraying around to ensure even edges. Brush shake off the excess flour before placing the dough on the edges of the pan and continuing with your recipe.

Begin to fold the rolled pie dough in half — This method can be used to transfer pie dough to a bottom crust (as shown above) or a top crust, using the same approach.

Watch AND learn

To see how easy this pie dough rolling method can be, watch it demonstrated in our video, 4 Tips for Waterproof Pie Dough. (The other three tips will help you up your pie game in other ways, so be sure to check them out, too!)

The next time you reach that dreaded moment when you have to transfer the rolled pie dough, release the breath you've been holding. Now you know how to move the dough with ease.

Cover photo by Mark Weinberg.

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