Ceramic Slab roller as dough sheeter

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huda on 1 Aug 2020 at 05:18

Hello, 

I came across this post recently (https://www.tastecooking.com/konbi-secret-croissant-pastry-machine-los-angeles/) as I was searching for a simple manual dough sheeter for home use, mainly for croissants but I would definitely use it for rolling all doughs, as possible.

I live in a country where the weather is hot, and I have kind of 'hot hands', so its really a pain when rolling delicate pastries...I don't have a business (considering small business in the future) and I enjoy baking a lot. In the article it says that they use a ceramic slab roller for laminating their croissants, theirs is Japanese and they kept specific brand a secret. But it was inspiring enough for me to start researching and I came across this one :

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(https://www.hobbyceramicraft.co.uk/tools-clay-equipment-slab-roller-tabletop)

It will definitely be a splurge , but do you think it will work/worth it ?

 

A couple of links to some cheaper options I found on Etsy but you'd have to check if they'd ship to you.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/640605112/dough-sheeter-19-inch-dough-roller-pizza?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_bar_bat_mitzvah_Home_and_Living&utm_custom1=16b21aa4-5ffd-4f5f-923d-ff5aeddee27c&utm_content=go_1707961800_63430305541_331635216186_pla-303628061699_c__640605112&utm_custom2=1707961800&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpZT5BRCdARIsAGEX0znyd0JAWoNtB8bYGXWMDENBgiYJg0rczG_IU8AlFnxGetR3L6sd3TIaAvFtEALw_wcB

https://www.etsy.com/listing/703789300/dough-sheeter-12-inches-dough-roller?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_bar_bat_mitzvah_Home_and_Living&utm_custom1=16b21aa4-5ffd-4f5f-923d-ff5aeddee27c&utm_content=go_1707961800_63430305541_331635216186_pla-303628061699_c__703789300&utm_custom2=1707961800&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpZT5BRCdARIsAGEX0zlLYITgbMuWvZIt2Tii_6PXu-eRTkBBNogVTKf5HzNR0iZXOkppv88aAlKLEALw_wcB

Dave

 

I was the lucky recipient of a slab roller from Michael Lily of Duluth’s Best Bread. He used it to decide whether buying a real sheet/croissant roller was worth it. He bought the real thing and my community pottery studio benefited from his generosity until they closed permanently  due to Covid. So I got the slab roller back and will be using it when my own studio gets built. It’s full of clay now so can’t be used for food anymore. 

It would be considered contaminated as it would be very hard to get every speck of clay out of it. Clay really isn’t something one would want to ingest. ?

This is the one I have:

Hello, 

Well, I didn't purchase an equipment yet, I would like to get your opinion on two models:

1) Shimpo mini slab roller, which I believe it is the same model used in Konbi, opening 3mm to 25 mm, 

here the rolling elements are stationary and the table moves across .

 

2) Northstar 18"Standard roller, opening paper thin to 2", here the rolling elements and table (not shown here) are stationary, the clay/dough will move across to flatten, resembling actual croissant sheeter.

 

I can afford one at the moment, which one shall I invest in?

 

They are both the same except one has a board under it to rest the canvas and clay on. They both have adjustable rollers. I’m more familiar with the board type so I’d be inclined to go with that but since you are using it for baking, maybe going with the one that is more similar to an actual sheeter might be best. ??‍♀️

Alright then I will get the Shimpo mini slab roller, it is almost the same as yours, i can buy longer table if I need in the future.. thank you

Hmm, I think it needs a learning curve, I wouldn't say that it is life changing, Yet.

I feel the dough is squished rather than rolled, the canvas ( i washed well and floured) gets dirty easily ,and the wooden table is not treated.. I tried to use silpat underneath but the dough sticks to it quickly and so I have to use a lot more of flour...

now looking back, I think I would've gotten this one instead...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/788737955/manual-dough-sheeter-197-inc-dough?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=dough+sheeter&ref=sc_gallery-1-1&plkey=ab9bb15cddc8e8e1ffe73c583d57f1f580c40a25%3A788737955&frs=1&bes=1

as the rollers are smooth , and the dough kind of "moves" so it flattens more evenly throughout ...

 

Are you able to get better lamination on the Shimpo with some extra practice? That Etsy link you provided has an electric one that looks appealing.

 

Warning, the Etsy sheet rollers do not work well.  They are clunky and start to jam up with anything 4.5mm or larger. The rollers stick to your doughs and shred them.  I bought one and we tried numerous doughs with no success.   

Tabletop slab rollers are readily available for about $650 USD- this seems to be what they are using in the bakery.  No need to spend $1500.

https://www.theceramicshop.com/product/11557/shimpo-mini-slab-roller/ 

https://www.baileypottery.com/c-116-srm.html

http://www.clay-king.com/clay_slab_rollers/shimpo_mini_slab_roller.html

https://kruegerpottery.com/products/shimpo_mini_roller 

In my experience as a ceramic artist I have found Shimpo products to be well made and functioning.  I have just ordered this slab roller and I will post how it goes with the laminated doughs.  

Hi there!

I just wanted to know if you had an update on how the ceramic rollers worked for your laminated dough? 
Would you recommend this over any other tabletop sheeter from Etsy?

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cfraenkel on 4 Oct 2022 at 18:35

Our school had one of these (for clay) and we ALWAYS put a sheet of canvas on top and one below when we rolled clay.  Have you tried parchment paper and freezing the dough first? It seems like it should work.

ca