Perfect Pasta Dough: Free Virtual Cooking Class from Feed Your Soul
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Pasta Making Basics
Fresh pasta is a completely different product from dried pasta. Fresh pasta can be made from all-purpose flour, 00 flour, and/or semolina flour. Fresh pasta is simple to make at home and can be rolled and cut by hand or by using a pasta machine. Below are a few guidelines on making and using fresh pasta:
Traditionally, pasta is made by piling the flour on a work surface, making a “well” in the center, adding the eggs and mixing everything together. To make the process easier to handle, place the flour in a large mixing bowl, combine the ingredients, and turn everything out on a work surface for kneading. You can also use a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment or a food processor. Be careful not to overwork the dough.
Kneading pasta may also be done by hand. To knead, gather the dough in a ball, press downward on it with the heel of your hand, fold the dough onto itself, and repeat. A properly kneaded pasta dough should be very smooth and supple but not sticky, which should take about 5 to 10 minutes.
It’s important to allow the dough to rest, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour at room temperature, before rolling. If you try to roll the dough before it rests, the dough will be too elastic and springy to roll.
When rolling the pasta, make sure to flour it generously to prevent sticking. When it emerges from the rollers, catch it on the back of your hand rather than with your fingertips to avoid making indentations in the dough sheet.
Pasta dough can be kept in the refrigerator up to 24 hours or wrapped in airtight packaging and frozen for up to 1 month. Refrigerated dough may become gray, keep an eye on the dough.
What is 00 Flour? Double zero, also referred to as doppio zero or 00 flour, is the most refined flour. In Italy and a few other European countries, the classification is based on how finely ground the flour is and how much of the germ and bran have been removed. The Italian grading system includes 2, 1, 0 and 00. Type 2 is the coarsest grind and has the most germ and bran. As you step down the system, the grind gets finer and more of the germ and bran are removed. The texture of 00 flour is silky soft, similar to baby powder. It is best know for pizza and pasta recipes to add a delicate chew to the product.
What is Semolina Flour? Semolina is a type of flour made from durum wheat. This type of flour is coarser than traditional flour and may be darker and more golden in color. It is popular in pasta recipes because it’s extremely high in gluten which helps keep the shape of pasta during cooking. It also adds a bite to the pasta and has an earthy aroma.
Fresh pasta dough can be flavored with various ingredients by using spinach powder, tomato powder, and mushroom powder or fresh or dried herbs.
Basic Pasta Dough
servings: 1 person
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 large egg
pinch salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
Flour and cornmeal for dusting
Form a mound of flour on a clean flat surface and sprinkle with salt. Use your knuckles to make a well. Break egg into well and beat lightly beat with a fork, add olive oil then gradually incorporate flour from the inside edge of the well into the eggs. Knead mixture with hands until dough is no longer sticky, about 7 minutes; form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic and let stand 1 hour to let the gluten relax and make rolling easier.
Place flour and salt in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Make a “well” in the center of the flour mixture and add the egg(s) and oil. Beat the egg(s) lightly with a fork and gradually incorporate flour from the inside edge of the well into the egg(s). When the pasta dough is thoroughly mixed, turn it out on a lightly floured work surface. Knead dough until it is smooth and flexible but not sticky, adding small amounts of flour as needed, about 5 to 10 minutes. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Cover in plastic wrap and allow dough to rest for at least 10 minutes and up to 1 hour at room temperature.
To roll dough by hand, split the dough into 4 pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough is as thin as you can possibly get it. You should just about be able to see the shape of your hand through the dough. For pappardelle, dust the top of the sheet of dough with flour and loosely roll it into a cylinder. Using a sharp knife, cut into 3/4-inch-wide slices. Unwrap the noodles; dust with cornmeal and gently toss to separate. Place on a sheet pan and cover with a tea towel until ready to cook (or freeze in freezer bags for up to 2 months).
To roll dough with a pasta machine, secure it to the edge of a long countertop. Using a bench scraper or knife, cut dough into two equal pieces. Keep extra dough covered in plastic while working with one piece. Flatten the piece of dough into a rough rectangle that will fit inside the width of the pasta machine. Place the rollers on the widest setting (usually #1 or 0) and roll the dough through the machine, catching it with one hand as you roll with the other. Roll the dough again through the widest setting. Take the dough and fold edges towards the center of the dough. Turn the dough so the folded edges are on the outside and roll it through on the widest setting again. Roll once more on the widest setting (a total of four times). Continue rolling the pasta through machine without folding, adjusting the rollers to the next smallest setting each time, until the desired thickness is reached. If the pasta sheet becomes too large to handle, use a bench scraper or knife to cut it into more manageable lengths and continue rolling until pasta is less than 1/16-inch thick. Place pasta sheets onto a rimmed baking sheet dusted with flour. Cover with plastic and repeat above steps with remaining dough. Place the desired cutting attachment onto the pasta machine. Generously flour each pasta sheets. Cut the pasta ribbons to the desired thickness by rolling the pasta through the cutting attachment. Lay the noodles stretched to dry on a dusting of corn meal, about 10 minutes. Place noodles into serving-size “nests” back onto the dusted baking sheet. Toss each nest generously with cornmeal to prevent sticking. Pasta can be cooked immediately or covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 1 hour before cooking.
To cook the pasta, place in a large pan of well-salted boiling water. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. The pasta should float to the top of the water when cooked. Enjoy!
Shopping List - per serving
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 large egg
pinch kosher salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
Extra flour and cornmeal (optional) for dusting
Equipment List
Large pasta pot
Large mixing bowl
Assorted mixing spoons
Measuring spoons and cups
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Bench Scraper, optional
Cookie sheet
Do Before Class
Measure all recipe ingredients
Fill pasta pot with water and simmer on the stove, salt till tastes of sea water
Have tools and equipment within reach
Review information and recipes and have questions ready