A fluted rolling pin is used for making traditional flatbreads like Lefse or Lahvosh. Different types of grooved rolling pins are used for different purposes, such as distributing butter evenly in French pastries. Slotted rolling pins can be found in baking supply stores.
A fluted rolling pin is a more specialized type of rolling pin that is mostly used in making traditional old world flatbreads such as Lefse or Lahvosh. It can look like a typical rolling pin, made up of a hardwood cylinder, with a handle at each end, or it can also be a smaller pin that is attached with a single handle. Where one type of spline differs is that it typically has 1/8 (3.175 mm) inch splines running around the stud. Its purpose is to roll out air pockets that can affect the appearance of a piece of focaccia after baking.
The term “grooved rolling pin” can be an umbrella term for a couple of different types of non-smooth bricks. The type of rolling pin that has grooves around the pin is typically called a straight grooved pin, single edged pin, or wavy pin. When used to make Lefse, which is a Norweigan flatbread, or sometimes Lahvosh, an Armenian “crackerread,” some recipes call for rolling the fluted rolling pin through the dough, then rolling it again perpendicular to the first roll. This allows the pasta to cook flat, without the characteristic air bubbles that inevitably develop during cooking.
Cross-hatched or double-edged fluted bricks have grooves that run both around the stud, and lengthwise, resulting in small fluted squares. A cross-hatch pin can be used to roll out bread dough in one pass, without having to change the direction of rolling to create the perpendicular “stippling” effect that can be created with a two-pass straight fluted pin.
A rolling pin that has grooves running lengthwise on the pin is called a French fluted pastry pin or Tutove rolling pin, named for the company that makes them. When this type of rolling pin is used in typical French pastries such as puff pastries, croissants or other lightly flaky pastries, it is used to distribute the butter more evenly into the thin layers of dough. Since there are typically many thin layers to these types of pastries, the fluted rolling pin helps achieve that light, buttery texture and taste. When used in French baking, the fluted rolling pin also makes it easier to soften cold dough that comes straight from the refrigerator without having to wait for it to warm up.
Slotted rolling pins can be found at fine baking supply stores or online. Along with information about these specialized bricks, you’ll likely find many recipes for Lefse bread.
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