Hi everyone,

I am new here and have a quick question. I have read alot of posts in this section but do not remember reading the answer to this question.
If I use parchment to roll out dough, can I keep rolling the excess over and over, or do the cookies get tough then? I am still old school and use flour when rolling but only roll each piece of dough twice. Would love to be able to use all my dough instead of throwing so much away.
Thanks.

I only roll mine twice at the very most for orders. I get pretty tight on my cutting by planning out in advance how big of a rectangle to roll to start with to minimize re-rolling. Here is a link about that, if you want:

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=635346&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0

So, I try to roll once for orders and twice, if neccessary. Any other little scraps are rerolled for practice cookies or for the family to munch on. I find that with each re-roll, the cookie size decreases, which I do not want for uniformity as I am usually doing several of the same design. Also, by the third re-roll, they are more firm. They are not hard or undesirable, but I prefer the first roll, or maybe a second, for orders. I also go light on the flour to start with in the recipe. Too much affects the flavor.

Regarding flour for rolling, I use a minimal amount. Others have said they dont need it, but my dough is relatively soft, so I need just a tad in order to be able to prep it for cutting. Here is what I do. I divide by dough in half. I roll it out with the large freezer paper underneath and the two pieces of saran side-by-side on the top (large cookie sheet) and pop it into the fridge to chill. When I bring it out, I flip it over and pull off the freezer paper and wipe it off with a paper towel. I then use a large pastry brush to VERY lightly brush flour on the surface of the dough. Not much though as you dont want to add a lot of flour. Then brush all of the flour off. I only do this to create an easier surface to get my cookie off once it is cut out. Place the freezer paper back on, flip it and cut.. Super easy to get the cookies off which really helps when cutting them by hand.

I use freezer paper as it is really large, which I need for my large cookie sheets and cheaper than parchment. However, if I find parchment on sale and dont need a normal large piece, I will use parchment. Hope this helps a bit.

I roll in between two large parchment sheets (the bakery sized, 16.3'' x 24.5'') http://www.acemart.com/prod4502.html

I don't add any additional flour when rolling, as long as my dough is well chilled it isn't necessary for me. I never throw dough away I roll a large area, get all the cuts I can, then re-roll...until all the dough is cut

I roll with parchment (but I like TracyLH suggestions)
I re-roll but only a couple times,
I used the first roll for all the good stuff
and then the scrapes get used for my minis that I give away, or sell super-duper cheap.
I haven't really noticed a huge difference.

i roll out between parchment pieces (no flour) and then after fridging and cutting, just pop the cookies into the oven on the same parchment i rolled on.

i reroll scraps, but i try only to have a second rolling not a third. if my back is to the wall, i will roll out a third time.

diane

Today i was rolling out between two parchment papers and it wouldn't stay still. The bottom paper kept moving, how do you do it so it stays in place?

Thanks!

I roll only between parchment and never add any flour for rolling purposes at all. With adding no flour, I pretty much find that I can re-roll until the dough is gone.....as many times as I would like. I would never re-roll more than once, if adding extra flour. But we have tested (taste and visual) between roll one and roll eight and none of my testers (myself, DH, three random people at my work, and two random people at his) could tell the difference. I usually get tired of rolling out though, long before 8, and just pat the rest of the dough into a large round cookie for my kids!