Chill the Countertop Before Rolling Out the Pie Dough.
Making baked goods in the summer is a tough battle against the laws of thermodynamics. Even if you’ve taken every precaution you can to keep your ingredients and tools nice and cool, the pie dough can still melt once it hits your counter.
While it’s true that bad things sometimes happen to good people, this kitchen nightmare is completely preventable. All you have to do is take a few minutes to make sure your countertop is as cold as your ingredients. This trick is courtesy of Stella Parks, who recommends using two gallon zip bags filled with ice water to cool your countertops, for example:
If you’re out of zip bags or prefer not to use them, I’ve found a baking sheet or a couple of baking plates to do the job just fine. Whichever dish you choose, after a few minutes – and quickly wipe off the condensation – your work surface will be at the ideal temperature to roll out even the most oily dough with ease.