Save that hefty rolling pin for making bread doughs. Heavy American-style rolling pins spin around a shaft on ball bearings and come with sturdy handles you grip to exert more force on the dough you’re rolling.
French-style rolling pins, on the other hand, are easy to store and use. They’re essentially dowels — long, narrow cylinders without handles. French rolling pins are lighter and easier to maneuver than American-style pins, giving you the control to roll out thinner, flakier doughs for pie crusts and cookies.
If you’re looking for a durable hardwood rolling pin, the Ateco 19176 Maple Straight Rolling Pin is a great choice.
What to know before you buy a French rolling pin
There are many styles of rolling pins made from various materials, from classic wood to silicone, marble, stainless steel and even glass. For more information, check out the full rolling pin buying guide from BestReviews.
Tapered vs. straight French rolling pins
You have more control with a French rolling pin as opposed to an American-style handled version. They’re thinner and allow your hands to be closer to the dough.
French rolling pins either come tapered, thinner at both ends or straight with the same diameter along the entire length. Whether tapered or straight, a French-style pin is great for rolling out cookies, pie and pastry doughs.
Tapered: Control and finesse
While hand tools are a matter of personal preference and comfort, fans of tapered French pins say it’s easier to feel the dough thickness and prevent overworking or rolling dough too thin.
A tapered French rolling pin won’t create creases in your dough like the blunt edge of a straight pin will. This is especially helpful when rolling out circular shapes like pie or tart dough.
However, since a tapered pin can tip slightly, you need to concentrate more on rolling evenly to avoid thin spots in your dough.
Straight: Stable and predictable
A straight pin is fine if you’re working with a smaller shape that doesn’t have to be rolled out too thin, such as a one-inch-thick square of biscuit dough or an average batch of cookie dough. Once you start rolling out larger circles (such as for a pie crust) you may run into problems with a straight pin. You’ll start to create seams where the dough meets the edge of the pin. You can avoid this with a longer pin, but this may be awkward.
If you’re a beginner, you can use a set of dough spacers with a straight French rolling pin—bands that wrap around the edges of your pin and help you roll dough to the correct thickness.
Best for rolling out round shapes
French rolling pins excel at rolling out round shapes. Roll from the center outward with even pressure, moving up and away from you as you lift off the dough surface.
French rolling pin features
Material
Rolling pins are made from various materials, from classic wood to silicone, marble, stainless steel and even glass.
Wood: French tapered rolling pins are traditionally made from premium hardwood such as maple, beech or boxwood. Wood is lightweight and easy to maneuver. Look for untreated, well-sanded hardwood that feels smooth against your skin. Over time, the wood will absorb oils and become even smoother.
Marble: Marble is another classic rolling pin material, appreciated by pastry chefs because it stays cool, which prevents butter in doughs from melting and making your pie or croissant dough a greasy mess. Marble comes in not only the classic white with gray streaking but also other colors like green and black. As a natural stone product, every marble rolling pin will look slightly different. One downside to marble is that it’s heavy. Its weight can make you press too hard and crease delicate doughs or feel awkward in your hands.
Metal: Some tapered rolling pins are now made from aluminum or stainless steel (which has the advantage of being dishwasher-safe). Metal is lightweight and odor-resistant but unfortunately conducts heat very quickly. This is fine for bread or pizza dough, but not the best match for cookie, pie or pastry dough. You can chill or freeze a metal rolling pin before using it, but this might not be appealing if your hands are sensitive to cold temperatures.
Length
French-style rolling pins vary from around 11-20 inches in length. Think about what you like to bake and how much surface area you’ll need in a rolling pin. If you’re looking for a rolling pin to make pie, keep in mind that you’ll need to roll out a 12-inch circle of dough for a standard nine-inch American pie pan (top or bottom crust).
Hook
A few rolling pins come with grommets so that they can be hung up and displayed for easy air drying and storage.
Cradle
Some French rolling pins come with a curved cradle in which to store the rolling pin. This is most common with marble pins—the cradle prevents the heavy stone from rolling onto the floor and breaking.
French rolling pin cost
French rolling pins range in price from around $15-$70. Most quality rolling pins hover on the low middle end of that range. Pins at the high end are handmade specialty items made from premium hardwood and might be pre-seasoned or finished with a grommet that allows you to hang it up on a hook.
French rolling pin FAQ
What do you use a French rolling pin for?
A. A French-style rolling pin is lightweight and great for rolling out pie crust, cookie dough and dough for pastries like croissants or kouign amman. But you can use a French rolling pin for rolling out any dough. They can also be used for crushing ice or toasted nuts.
How do you clean a French rolling pin?
A. Don’t use soap or harsh cleaners on a hardwood rolling pin. Gently scrape off any dough clinging to your pin with a bench knife or dishcloth. In general, you shouldn’t have a lot of dough sticking to the pin — a lot of excess dough usually means your dough is at the wrong temperature or you’ve used too much flour on the rolling surface.
If your rolling pin seems dry, you can occasionally rub a wooden pin with food-grade mineral oil (like butcher block oil). Never put a wooden rolling pin in the dishwasher.
Which French rolling pin should I get?
Best of the best French rolling pin
Ateco 19176 Maple Straight Rolling Pin: available at Amazon
Our take: Made in Canada from durable solid maple, this 19-inch pin is smooth and comfortable for rolling out everything from pizza dough to puff pastry.
What we like: Ateco, a reliable manufacturer of hand tools for home bakers and pastry chefs, has been family-operated for over a century.
What we dislike: Like all wooden pins, you can’t put this in the dishwasher and must be washed by hand.
Best bang for your buck French rolling pin
J.K. Adams Maple Wood French Rolling Pin: available at Amazon and Sur La Table
Our take: This tapered French-style rolling pin is made in the USA from long-lasting North American hardwood while its shape allows you control and precision.
What we like: Just over 20 inches long, the center section is long enough to roll large rounds of tart and pie dough evenly.
What we dislike: You can’t use dough spacers or bands with this style of rolling pin.
Honorable mention French rolling pin
Fox Run White Marble French Rolling Pin: available at Amazon and Home Depot
Our take: This affordable white marble rolling pin is great for small spaces and attractive enough to keep out on the counter.
What we like: Marble keeps pastry cool and easy to work with. The cradle that comes with the rolling pin is also made of marble, unlike other sets that come with cheap wooden cradles that eventually crack or get moldy.
What we dislike: At only 12 inches in length, this might not work for larger hands or portions of dough.
Rachel Boller is a writer for BestReviews. BestReviews is a product review company with a singular mission: to help simplify your purchasing decisions and save you time and money.
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