Patent Publication Number: US-2015069648-A1

Title: Dough thickness guides and related method

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/875,224, filed Sep. 9, 2013. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to baking. More particularly, the present invention relates to pastry dough thickness guides and the related method of using the same to create dough of a desired consistent thickness. 
     It is well known by bakers that in order to create evenly baked crusts and other pastries and the like, an even, consistent thickness of the precooked dough is essential. Uneven dough results in the thinner portions cooking more quickly than the thicker portions. This results in the thinner portions being either overcooked or the thicker portions being undercooked such that the pastry or crust or the like is not baked evenly. 
     Traditionally, when rolling out dough, the baker used intuition when it came to the thickness of the rolled out dough. Unless an expert baker, it has been found to be difficult to roll out dough to an exact thickness. Sometimes, the dough can be slightly thicker at one end compared to another. For example, the edges can be thinner as the rolling pin rolls off the edge of the rolled dough. 
     There exist dough roller appliances which are mechanical machines that roll the dough to a consistent and desired thickness. The dough is inserted into the appliance and fed through a set of rollers which are hand-actuated or rolled by an electric motor or the like. These appliances do provide a consistently uniform thickness of rolled dough. Such appliances can be fairly expensive and require a large amount of space to be operated and stored. As such, these appliances are typically used in the commercial setting and not in household settings, particularly of the average baker. 
     There exists an adjustable rolling pin, wherein rings of different diameter are secured to the outside ends of a rolling pin so as to raise the rolling pin to a desired height corresponding to the desired thickness of the dough. However, this adjustable rolling pin has drawbacks as well. Each time a dough is desired to be rolled out to a different thickness, a different pair of rings must be attached to the outside ends of the rolling pin. Furthermore, the baker must purchase the adjustable rolling pin and cannot use his or her own rolling pin(s). 
     Rolling pins come in a variety of sizes, shapes and materials. Common materials include wood, glass, ceramic, acrylic, Bakelite, copper, brass, aluminum, silicone, stainless steel, plastic and marble. Some are hollow and are able to be filled with cold or warm water to better roll a desired food. Marble rolling pins are often cooled in a refrigerator for maintaining a cold dough while making puff pastry. Rolling pins may consist of a relatively thick and heavy roller having thinner handles which extend through the roller. These are used by grasping the handles and pushing the pin across the dough to be rolled out. Other rolling pins comprise rods which are used by rolling the rod (without handles) across the dough using one&#39;s palm. In the case of the adjustable rolling pin, the desired size, type, or material of the rolling pin which the baker already owns may not be able to be used. Not only will purchasing the adjustable rolling pin provide a potentially unnecessary cost to the baker, the baker may not be able to use the rolling pin which is best suited for the particular type of dough and job to be performed. 
     Accordingly, there is a continuing need for tools and a method for creating dough of exactly the required thickness. Such tools and methods should be able to be used in connection with various different types of rolling pins and also in connection with different types of dough. Such tools should be capable of being used by any baker in a variety of settings, including residential settings. The present invention fulfills these needs, and provides other related advantages. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is generally directed to dough thickness guides for manually rolling dough to a desired, consistent thickness. The guides comprise a plurality of elongated strips, each strip having a generally consistent thickness along an operating length thereof. Each elongated strip has opposing side edges of a predetermined thickness corresponding with the desired thickness of the rolled dough. For example, the elongated strips typically have a thickness of less than 0.5 inches. The elongated strips are typically less than two inches in width, and are between four and twenty-four inches in length. 
     The elongated strips each have a generally flat surface for contact with the supporting surface upon which the dough is to be rolled. An opposite upper surface of each elongated strip has a generally flat surface for contact with a rolling pin. 
     The plurality of elongated strips comprises a plurality of pairs of elongated strips having generally identical dimensions. The plurality of elongated strips is attachably connected to one another. For example, an aperture may be formed adjacent to an end of each elongated strip, and a clasp detachably connecting the elongated strips to one another. 
     In accordance with the method of the present invention of manually rolling dough to a predetermined, consistent thickness, a rolling pin is provided which has a length between opposing ends of the rolling pin. A pair of dough thickness guides is placed in spaced relation less than the length of the rolling pin. The dough thickness guides comprise elongated strips each having a thickness of the desired thickness of the rolled dough. The dough disposed between the dough thickness guides is manually rolled using the rolling pin until the rolling pin contacts an upper surface of each of the pair of dough thickness guides, at which time the dough has been rolled to the predetermined, consistent thickness. 
     Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings: 
         FIG. 1  is a side perspective view of a dough thickness guide embodying the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2A-2D  are side perspective views of dough thickness guides of varying thickness, in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  is a top view of a plurality of pairs of guides, used in accordance with the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a side perspective view of a plurality of pairs of dough thickness guides, detachably connected to one another; 
         FIG. 5  is a side perspective view similar to  FIG. 4 , but having a sleeve over a portion of the dough thickness guides; 
         FIGS. 6-9  are diagrammatic views illustrating the use of the dough thickness guides in manually rolling dough to a desired, consistent thickness, in accordance with the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     As shown in the drawings, for purposes of illustration, the present invention is related to dough thickness guides and a method of using the same. The guides are kitchen tools used to manually roll out dough with a rolling pin to a desired uniform thickness. The term “dough” is used in a broad sense herein, and includes, but is not limited to, pastry, cookie dough, biscuit dough, pizza dough, pie pastry or dough, filo pastry, puff pastry, fondant or other icing sheets, and the like. Moreover, the present invention could be used not only in connection with baked food goods, but other goods wherein a soft and relatively malleable material is desired to be manually rolled out to a generally uniform desired thickness. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 1 , a dough thickness guide and its elongated strip  10  is shown which embodies the present invention. The elongated strips  10  forming the dough thickness guide has generally opposite side edges  12  which are of a predetermined thickness which correspond to the desired thickness of the rolled dough. As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the guide strip  10  is of a generally consistent thickness, at least along an operating length thereof. The operating length is the portion of the guide strip  10  upon which the rolling pin is to contact when the desired thickness of the rolled dough has been achieved. Typically, as illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the guide strip  10  is of generally uniform thickness across its entire length. With reference to  FIGS. 2A-2D , four different dough thickness guide strips  10  are illustrated, each having a different thickness, corresponding to the desired thickness of the rolled dough. 
     Although the guides are typically straight, the configuration thereof can vary. The guide strips  10  are of a sufficient length so as to correspond to a desired dimension of the rolled out dough. The guide strips  10  of the present invention are intended to be used in a variety of settings, and are particularly adapted for use in a residential kitchen. As such, the guide strips  10  are typically within the range of a few inches in length up to twenty-four inches in length. Many baking pans and dishes are less than sixteen inches in diameter or length. Thus, typically the guides are approximately sixteen inches (40.6 cm) in length, in a particularly preferred embodiment. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the guide strips  10  may be shorter or longer than sixteen inches. There are instances where the baking dishes or pans may be larger, and the desired length of the guide strips  10  could be provided in a greater length so as to accommodate these dishes. Alternatively, the guide strips  10  can be moved during the dough rolling process. 
     The width of the guide strips  10  can also vary, but are typically between 0.5 inches to 2.0 inches in width. In a particularly preferred embodiment the guide strips  10  are approximately 0.75 inches in width. The guide strips  10  need only be of a sufficient width so as to provide positive contact with the rolling pin when the dough has been rolled out to the thickness of the guide strips  10 , as will be more fully explained herein. As indicated above, it is contemplated by the present invention that the guide strips  10  are of such a dimension so as to be easily used on a typical home countertop and easily stored. 
     The guide strips  10  have a generally flat lower surface  14  which engages the supporting surface, such as a countertop, upon which the dough is to be rolled. A generally opposite upper surface  16  of the guide strips  10  is also typically generally a flat surface for contacting the rolling pin. It will be understood, however, that the upper surface  16  need not be generally flat, but instead could present a ridge or the like so long as the combined thickness of the height of the ridge to the bottom surface  14  is generally consistent and of a thickness corresponding to the thickness desired of the final rolled dough. 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 2A-2D  and  FIG. 3 , it will be seen in  FIGS. 2A-2D  that the side edge  12  thickness, corresponding to the thickness of the guide strips  10  is varied so as to enable the user to roll out dough to different thicknesses. Thus, for example, the guide strip  10  illustrated in  FIG. 2A  is much thinner than the guide strip  10  illustrated in  FIG. 2D . This can correspond, for example, to a guide strip  10  having a 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) thickness in  FIG. 2A , a ⅛ inch (3.2 mm) thickness in  FIG. 2B , a 3/16 inch (4.8 mm) thickness in  FIG. 2C , and a ¼ inch (6.4 mm) thickness in  FIG. 2D . The thicknesses of the guide strips  10  can vary, but are typically less than ½ inch. Although the guide strips  10  may be of different thicknesses as needed, the four thicknesses indicated above correspond to the typical thicknesses desired of rolled dough when baking pastries and the like. 
     Although preferably comprised of wood, the guide strips  10  can be comprised of any suitable material, including plastic, metal, glass, Plexiglas, stone, and the like. The material should be sufficiently rigid so as to resist compression so as to maintain the depth or thickness of the guide strip  10  as pressure is applied thereto, such as by a rolling pin, and capable of being adequately cleaned and reused. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 3 , the guide strips  10  are offered in at least pairs having the same thickness, and typically having the same overall dimensions. Preferably, the guide strips  10  are labeled in some manner in order to convey to the user the thickness of each guide strip  10 , as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . This may be done by means of imprinting the thickness thereon, embossing the thickness thereon, providing color-coded indicia, etc. As will be more fully described herein, the guide strips  10  are spaced apart from one another, but less than the length of the rolling pin used, such that the dough can be rolled out and when the rolling pin engages both upper surfaces  16  of the spaced apart guide strips  10  then the user knows that the desired thickness of the dough has been achieved, which is consistent along the area of the dough between the guide strips  10 . 
     In a particularly preferred embodiment, an aperture  18  is formed through the guide strip  10  adjacent to an end thereof of a sufficient dimension so as to enable the guide strips  10  to be releasably connected to one another for easy storage. 
     Attached pairs of guide strips  10  as a set  20  is illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . It will be seen that a chain  22  extends through the aligned apertures  18  so as to releasably connect the individual guide strips  10  to one another in the set. It will be appreciated that other attachment means, such as a clasp, ring or the like may be used to releasably attach and connect the pairs of guide strips  10  to one another. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the four pairs of guide strips  10  illustrated in  FIG. 3  are releasably connected to one another to form a set  20  as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . This allows the pairs of guide strips  10  to be attached to one another for storage when not in use. As shown in  FIG. 5 , a sleeve  24  may be removably disposed over at least a portion of the aligned guide strips  10 , so as to maintain the guide strips in a compact form when stored. 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 6-9 , the method of using the guides  10  of the present invention is shown. The method and operation of the guides  10  of the present invention will be described in connection with rolling pastry. Thus, for example, the rolling pin  26  and a supporting surface are dusted, such as with flour, and the pastry dough  28  is placed in the center. Some flour may be dusted onto the pastry dough  28  and/or rolling pin  26  as well to prevent the pastry dough  28  from sticking to the rolling pin  26 . 
     The desired thickness of the dough  28  determines the selection of the guide strips  10 . The user removes a pair of dough thickness guide strips  10  having generally the same dimensions and having a thickness corresponding to the desired thickness of the rolled dough from the plurality of dough thickness guide strips detachably connected to one another in the set, as illustrated in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . Thinner guide strips  10  such as the illustrated 1/16 inch thick guide strips  10  may be used for relatively thin pastries and the like. The most commonly used pastry thickness is ⅛ inch, and the user may select a pair of guide strips  10  corresponding to this thickness. The 3/16 inch guide strips  10  provide a thicker pastry for richer pies, such as apple pie. The ¼ inch guide strips  10  may be used, for example, in creating cookies and the like. Of course, when utilizing the guide strips  10  with other food materials, such as icing or fondant, biscuit dough, bread dough, pizza dough, etc. a different thickness guide strip  10  pair may correspond to the need for such dough. 
     With reference now to  FIG. 7 , the guide strips  10  are spaced apart from one another a distance corresponding to less than the length of the rolling pin  26  between the ends thereof. The rolling pin  26  must be able to contact the upper surface  16  of both guide strips  10  in order to ensure that the desired consistent thickness of the dough  28  has been achieved. The guide strips  10  may be placed on either side of the dough, or the dough disposed and placed between the spaced apart guide strips  10  before beginning to be rolled by the rolling pin  26 . 
     As illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the guide strips  10  are spaced apart from one another a distance corresponding to less than the length of the rolling pin  26 . The pastry dough  28  is placed between the guide strips  10 . 
     With reference now to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , the user begins to roll the dough  28 , beginning in the middle of the dough and rolling from the center outwards, turning the dough  28  frequently. This is done until the rolling pin  26  reaches the guide strips  10 , as illustrated in  FIG. 9 . Once the rolling pin  26  reaches the guide strips  10  along an entire area of the rolled dough  28 , the dough  28  has been rolled to a generally uniform thickness corresponding to the thickness of the guide strips  10 . 
     Thus, for example, if a pastry thickness of one-eighth inch was desired, a pair of one-eighth inch guide strips  10  would be selected and spaced apart from one another no greater than the length of the rolling pin  26 . When the pastry dough  28  is fully rolled out to the point where the rolling pin  26  contacts both of the guide strips  10 , the pastry dough  28  has been rolled out to a one-eighth inch uniform thickness. This will result in even baking of the pastry or crust. 
     It will be appreciated that the guide strips  10  of the present invention can be used with any size or type of rolling pin. The rolling pin can be relatively long or relatively short. The rolling pin can be made of wood, marble, metal, etc. Moreover, the rolling pin may be of a “roller” type with handles extending from the ends thereof for grasping and pushing the rolling pin across the dough. In such case, the guides  10  will be spaced apart from one another within the length of the roller portion of the rolling pin. 
     Although the invention has been described above as providing a pair of guides  10  to be used in the method of creating dough of a desired uniform thickness, it will be appreciated that more than two guides, such as three or four guides, may be placed around the perimeter of the dough to be rolled out. Similarly, a framework of interconnected guides or guides placed adjacent to one another or abutting one another could be used around the perimeter of the dough. The important aspect is that when the rolling pin encounters at least two guides  10 , or opposing portions of a framework of a guide the dough therebetween has been rolled to a desired uniform thickness. 
     After use, the guides  10  may be quickly and easily washed, such as wiping with a damp cloth, and easily stored within a drawer or cabinet of the user&#39;s kitchen, until used again in the future. As described above, a clasp or other attachment means may attach guides  10  of the same dimension to one another, or several pairs of different dimensions to one another for storage and easy later retrieval. 
     Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.