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Spent $80 on a 'professional' dough scraper and it's basically a fancy butter knife | Bakers - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals

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tara_dixon•6mo ago

Spent $80 on a 'professional' dough scraper and it's basically a fancy butter knife

I got it from a baking supply site after seeing a video where the baker made it look so easy. It's this thick, heavy metal thing that's supposed to glide under sticky dough, but the edge is totally blunt. I tried using it on my high-hydration focaccia dough yesterday and it just mashed and tore everything. I'm back to using my old plastic bench scraper that cost maybe five bucks. Has anyone found a metal scraper that actually works, or should I just give up?

4 comments

4 Comments

patel.morgan6mo ago

Eighty bucks for a bookend is a special kind of pain. Those heavy metal ones are a total scam for sticky dough. They just don't have the right flex. A good scraper needs to bend a little to slide under, not push through. Your plastic one works because it gives way just enough. Save the fancy metal for cutting brownies or something.

thompson.julia6mo ago

Totally get your frustration. Honestly, I used to believe the heavy metal ones were the only real tool for the job. A bad experience with a sticky sourdough changed my mind completely. That blunt edge just butchers the dough structure you worked so hard to build. My cheap plastic one bends just enough to slide under without tearing. Now I keep the fancy one as a bookend.

casey2686mo ago

Forget the material, it's all about the curve for me. I mean, @thompson.julia is right about the metal ones being too stiff, but my favorite scraper has a slight curve on the cutting edge. It cups the bowl perfectly and gets every last bit of batter out without you having to scrape with your finger. That little bend makes it way better than a flat piece of plastic. It just glides right along the curve of the mixing bowl.

kevinw945mo ago

Man that's brutal. My sister bought me one of those fancy metal ones for Christmas last year. Used it once on some pizza dough and it was a total disaster, just ripped the whole thing. That blunt edge is useless. My old plastic one is beat up and stained but it actually works. Sometimes the cheap tool is just the right tool.