Docking

Dough contains water, and in the oven that water turns to steam. If the steam has nowhere to go, it lifts the dough into blisters and bubbles. Small holes poked across the surface give it a way out, so the pastry bakes with an even, flat surface.

Bakers dock the bottom of a tart shell, a cracker, a flatbread, or a sheet of puff pastry that is meant to stay level. It is usually done after the dough is rolled and before it goes in the oven. Pastry that will be filled and baked together with its filling is generally left alone, because holes could let the filling leak through.

The tools range from a plain table fork to a rolling docker covered in short spikes.