What is “Docking”?

It’s baker-speak for “poking holes”, reader Kendra. Those holes let expanding gas and steam escape while the crackers bake in the oven. And that’s important for flatbreads and crackers, because otherwise they wouldn’t stay flat. They’d puff up into brittle little pillows, and zis, she is no good. Better that a cracker be flat, solid and reliable, ready to shoulder the worst a bowl of cream cheese spinach dip can dish out. Docking is also useful for some pie and tart crusts, since steam-created bubbles lead to cracks, cracks lead to leaks, and leaks lead to half-empty pie shells and smoke alarms.