Chilling pastry

Chilling pastry is resting pastry dough in the refrigerator before rolling or baking so it stays firm and holds its shape.

Chilling pastry: A thick flat disc of pie dough wrapped loosely in parchment, chilled, with a few flecks of butter visible at the edge
  • Techniques and preparation methods

Also called: resting pastry

Pastry dough is chilled until firm. Baking authors treat dough that sticks while being rolled as a sign it is too warm and needs to be chilled until firm. A cold dough is easier to handle, and the fat stays solid so the baked crust turns out flaky.

Resting also relaxes the gluten, the protein network that makes dough springy. Pastry texts advise resting dough once it has been cut to allow the gluten strands to relax, which helps prevent shrinkage. A pie dough shaped in its pan may be refrigerated for at least an hour before baking.

Chilling is a simple way to keep pastry tender and shaped.

Related entries

Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. Troubleshooting Flaky Pie Crust and Pies, Rose Levy Beranbaum, The Baking Bible (ckbk reference)
  2. Introduction to Baking and Pastries: 1.5 Pastry Doughs, LibreTexts / Chef John Folse Culinary Institute