Much like paper towels (which I rarely use but keep around in case i want to drain some bacon or clean up something really nasty), I think that it's ok to use some plastic wrap now and then... if there's no reasonable alternative I don't think it's a big deal.

I've used a well-wrapped tea towel when I had no plastic wrap... although I tend to believe this is what bakers used before plastic wrap anyway (and pre-freezer as well!). It worked just fine, but it wasn't for long-term storage.

It's funny - that's my photo, but I actually use wax paper more often than plastic wrap. I find that it peels away from some doughs much better than plastic, and it's also easier to roll out some doughs between wax paper.

What about a silicone mat tied with a rubber band?

I ripped the band aid off when it comes to plastic and paper towels. The .49 cent tea towels from ikea are perfect for everything in the kitchen, from draining bacon to drying washed produce. Use once (like for bacon) and toss in the wash. I dampen them when using for dough and things that need to stay moist.

oddly, I wind up using the plastic bags that less canvas-obsessed types (and me in my lapses) bring into the house as a substitute for plastic wrap. But the supply has predictably dwindled...sigh.

I've had the same box of Saran Wrap for nearly two years now, and have more than half left. But I do use it to wrap doughs that must be chilled. I use zipper-type bags to freeze flat pie crusts, but re-use them until they break. Use your plastic wrap in good enough conscience, friend. The world is joyless enough as it is without this particular worry in it. Or use and re-use the zipper bags.

We have curbside recycling in my town, which cuts my worry a bit. At least I know that bit of plastic wrap will eventually wind up as a shopping bag or something.

I use ziplock bags for chilling pastry dough, since they can be washed and re-used and can be wrapped tightly enough to keep the dough from drying out.

Ditto for the ziplock bags! It's what you'd use anyway to store your dough in the freezer if you're baking ahead... there's no reason why you can't use it for dough left to chill in your fridge! Also, if you're really worried about the dough drying out, try dampening a tea towel and wrapping it around your pastry...

I have strong memories of my mother rolling out pie dough on wax paper (stacking the two pieces with another piece of wax paper in between if it was for two crusts), covering the dough with more wax paper, tightly folding in the edges, and chilling it in the refrigerator.

Our sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper and normally stayed fresh, unless a corner accidentally came untucked.

Plastic wrap came along by the time I was running a household, but I don't remember suffering at all using wax paper. I remember pie crusts being a lot better back then - at least the ones for sale in today's local diners. People brag on them, but they're a far cry from what Mama and Grandma used to make.

I've been in eco-conscious kitchens where they washed their plastic wrap in soapy water and then rinsed it and hung it to dry to be re-used. Seriously! It worked. Be careful that the water isn't too hot, though, or the plastic will get too soft.

Ok this might sound a little strange but my idea is similar to what we use for clothes storage.
Take a thin plastic bag. Put the dough in it. Close it and use a small portable vacuum cleaner to suck the air. It will shrink and produce a vacum wrap around dough.Twist it and close it firmly with a rubber band.Of course you can re-use the bag.
Havent try it yet ..I go now.

I just use a glass dish with a lid- Pyrex makes some great ones that hold a flattened disc of pie dough perfectly! I think I got mine at Target, but they are available at Amazon too: http://bit.ly/1GnW7a

I make pie crust without plastic wrap, because I never have it on hand. I dampen the outside a little extra and put it in a covered bowl to chill. And not to brag, but my pie crust is incredible. :)

I have in the past used the old Heloise hint of wrapping the rolling pin in (washed) old nylon stockings to keep dough from sticking to it.

we save the cereal liner bags and split them open to use as freezer wrap for meats and stuff. I think it would work for pie crust as well. I don't make a lot of pie crust and the recipe that I do use when I make it is a press in the pan style so it doesn't require resting.

Well, I got rid of paper towels long ago, but I confess that I do still wrap dough in plastic wrap. Not without guilt. But when I run out of the roll I've had for about 10 years I will not replace it.

I think one could use: recyclable plastic bags, just keep re-using them until they start to fall apart, and then rinse them & recycle (my grocery store takes them). Or a dampened tea towel. Plastic wrap really hasn't been around that long, so the alternatives were probably fabric.

Wax paper has always worked fine for me.

though someone in my house usually has some plastic wrap around, for something that just needs to chill for a bit I often use a damp cloth.

also, true cellophane is completely biodegradable. I wish it was easier to find/more clearly labeled.

The softer the plastic, the more dangerous it is to leaching into the food. I never want plastic wrap to touch food so i freeze with wax paper, a double layer if needed. It works well and actually is easier to remove than plastic. I freeze berries solid on a cookie sheet first before storing them long term in a zip lock. Once the item is frozen solid, it's less likely to interact with the zip-lock plastic. I wash and reuse the same zip-lock bag many times so it's not costly.

Thanks so much for your tips, everyone!!

I must admit I usually skip that step anyway, and I make pastry rather a lot-which usually turns out good. But couldn't you just put it in a bowl with one of the reusable bowl covers (or a plate, or a tea towel, or tupperware) and put that in the fridge? That's what I do if slow-proving bread overnight. Any of these options prevent the dough from drying out when I do it with bread dough.

oilcloth, maybe? dunno if it's actually food-safe

I'm with Sian and a few others who have commented: why not just put it in a bowl with a cover?

Saran Wrap was introduced around 1950, but wasn't pastry invented well before that? What did home bakers do before 1950? Seriously--it's kind of a funny/interesting question.

I'm with klt108. I just re-read all the Little House books, and surely there was a way Ma made good pie crust without plastic. The whole time I read those books I was struck by all the wonderful things they were able to do in their kitchen, making so little waste and using so few throw-away items like plastic wrap.

Would it be worth some food-historian or homemaker-historian-type research?

pyrex bowls and silpats work well for me. i proof dough for bread in pyrex and pastry doughs and crusts i roll out on the silpat, fold it over on itself, and weigh down the edges in the fridge.

i came up with a quick trick for working with puff pastry dough. i toss my cast iron griddle in the freezer and roll the dough out on the silpat using the griddle as a work surface. keeps cold really well! :) cheap, scrap marble tiles at big box stores work well, too. and terra cotta tiles make great pizza stones.

lol ok, so we all agree that pies have been made before plastic was invented. How about this thought: pies were being made before refrigerators were invented! I'm fairly sure that ma and pa didn't have a fridge in Little House, so why even worry about it?

A bowl with a cover generally works fine - or if you need to keep the air out, a bowl with a cling film over the top of the pastry (you're only using half the amount of plastic then).
All these tea towels being used once for draining bacon fat and the like - and then being washed - this uses up other resources! I wonder what the energy used in washing and drying a tea towel is in comparison to the energy and resources used in a couple of sheets of kitchen roll/plastic wrap for the same job?

The issue with plastic wrap, and plastics in general, isn't just disposability or energy/petroleum consumption......there are chemicals that leach from plastics, and many people are trying to avoid that.

I use Abeego flats and wraps for a lot of the things I used to use plastic wrap for. They're washable/reusable oilcloth that's coated in beeswax (it smells so good!):

I bought mine on Etsy: http://abeego.etsy.com

You should avoid using plastic wrap on any pastry. The plasticizers that make plastic wrap soft and flexible WILL leach into foods. They are attracted to fats which is why pastry is at the top of the list of things to never wrap in it(this is also why you shouldn't use it for meat, cheese, etc.). If you must use plastic wrap, use the type made from low density polyethylene (LDPE) which is a little better.

dksbook- plastic wrap cannot be recycled. If it is put in with the recycling, you are most likely contaminating entire batches of plastic. If this happens the whole lot cannot be used.

bewarethebaobabs is right, true cellophane is completely biodegradable, however most is made with polypropylene. On the bad side, cellophane causes health problems in the people who manufacture it.

Parchment paper is usually bleached and coated with chemicals (i.e. Teflon or Quilon) so it can't be recycled.

Wax paper is coated with a non-stick resin made from formaldehyde or petroleum. There are unbleached, soy-based alternatives.

Bottom line, I think the people who recommend using glass or kitchen towels are probably right. Not only are they eco-friendly, but they are safe to use. They're also the cheapest option because you don't have to keep buying them for life! I've also recently come across the Abeego flats and am excited to try them. Glad to see someone has had a good experience with them!