How thick is thin? A dough question.

[CatPoet]

This has been  puzzling me for a while,  how thick is thin?

 

When is say roll out thin, in my world it is   1- 2 mm  thin  or at max 3 mm.  But when I watch youtube  cooking channels from  other countries then mine it isnt the same.

 

Most English speaking channels  when they say thin it is about  5 mm and that is thick to me  while in some other  countries it is  1 mm or  see through thin.

 

I have also notice that if I say thin to some people  that none Swedes  they roll out doughs  as thick 1 cm and that is too thick most often  if you want  the same results.

 

So  how thick is thin to you?

[Smithy]

I think it depends partly on the context.  A thin cracker dough will be thinner than a thin bread dough, and both will be thicker than a thin pasta dough.  This is one reason I like it when someone specifies a thickness range.  I have a cracker cookbook that specifies thickness (inches and millimeters) and includes a pasta machine number setting where appropriate.

[CatPoet]

I just be wondering because I tend to forget that  people see 2 mm as  ultra or wafer thin and not just thin.  In Sweden  we have lovely words as tablecloth thin, napkin thin and leaf thin,  it gives at least an idea how thin it should  be unless you have a rug on you table.

[pastrygirl]

Definitely depends on where you are and what you are making, there is no universal standard of thin.  I like your tablecloth/napkin/leaf descriptions,  it helps to have a measurement or comparison.  I might roll a shortbread cookie or cinnamon roll dough to 1cm, but more likely a little less, and I would call that thick, not thin!  But 1cm would be relatively thin for a(n American) biscuit or scone, those would usually be 2-3cm. 

 

I've never made phyllo or strudel and work with more tarts, cookies, crackers, and biscuits.  Since what I roll most often is pate sucree/brisee type tart dough, standard thickness to me is about 1/8" or 3mm, thin is 2 mm (for crackers and a certain empanada dough) and 1mm would be extra thin.  Tuiles and some chocolate garnishes are the only things that I can think of that I make extra thin.  Oh and one cracker recipe - these are all spread with an offset icing spatula, not rolled.

[Lisa Shock]

This is definitely a grey area, particularly in home cooking recipes. I think most recipes assume that people already have an idea about how thin pie crust should be, vs a biscuit. Some recipes call for the dough to be rolled to a particular overall size (9inch circle, or 9inch x 12 inch rectangle) which forces the dough to a particular thickness. Others call for visual cues, like strudel dough needing to be so thin you can read a newspaper through it.

 

Most professional recipes assume that you are using a machine (pasta maker, sheeter) and give numbers for thicknesses.

 

I have one grissini recipe where the dough gets pulled extra thin, to about double the thickness of strudel dough, but, that's rare. This would definitely be something to consider when writing a cookbook. We do have tools to check these measurements, those rubber rings for rolling pins are useful, but only if you have an idea of which set to use.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

I agree that thin has a definite context.

 

A thin cookie or cracker is usually thicker than a flour tortilla, which is much thicker than phyllo.

 

I don't have any special equipment other than my trusty rolling pin. I have made flour tortillas once, when I ran out of store bought. I found this to be fun but quite the workout to get them thin enough for my liking, to the point where bench flour was jumping and popping around as high as my face in the static electricity generated by my efforts. I was using a silcon pastry/baking sheet liner to roll on. That may or may not happen again, but I can really not imagine undertaking phyllo. I know a lady from Turkey, and she uses the frozen stuff from the grocery store, so it's good enough for me. 

 

So especially in a recipe for a specialty from one nation or culture designed for an audience from another nation or culture that may be entirely unfamiliar with said specialty and how the finished product should turn out, a specific thickness range is essential. I would not attempt such a recipe without one.

[CatPoet]

I know I forget after I been translating a recipe, finding what works  or the name of ingredients   to write the  correct  thickness sometimes.  I will better my self.  

 

In one of my old cookbook  it says  to roll out the dough  as thin as  the soul of a  fallen women...   Heck knows how thin that is, but I like the wording.