Master the Dough Log
Every great slice-and-bake begins here
Every great slice-and-bake begins with this: the dough log. A fixture of cookie-making since time immemorial, the log is deceptively simple, as with many of the finer things in life—it's easy to make and hard to master, and it never seems to work out the same way twice. These tips will help you perfect your technique. Then you can go around calling yourself "Master of the Log." You know, if that's something you've been wanting to do.
Logs of slice-and-bakes, like the Chocolate-Pistachio Sables, store best.
1/3- Divide dough into 4 pieces. Place each piece in the center of a sheet of parchment paper and form into a log, about 8" long and 1½" in diameter.
2/3- Just like you’d roll up a poster, wrap the parchment around the log, smoothing the paper and pressing out air with your hands. Twist the ends of the parchment tightly to compact the dough log.
3/3- After wrapping, roll log on a flat surface to create a tight cylinder. Let chill at least 1 hour before slicing and baking, or wrap tightly in plastic if freezing. Try the Chocolate-Pistachio Sables recipe!
Alison Roman is a former senior food editor for Bon Appétit and columnist for the New York Times cooking section. She is the author of bestselling cookbooks Nothing Fancy, Dining In, and Sweet Enough and the host and producer of CNN’s (More Than) A Cooking Show with Alison Roman, the creator of a bi-weekly ... Read More