Home Made Pasta

Home made pasta mixing by hand, mixing in a processor, rolling and cutting with pasta machine and making filled pasta.

All purpose flour is usually used when making egg pasta. It gives a fine-textured, light dough that is well suited to filled pastas such as ravioli, as it gives the pasta good elasticity.

The addition of durum what semolina gives a better color, more flavor and a resilient texture, as well as providing the nutritional benefits of hard wheat flours. The proportion of semolina to all purpose flour is a matter of choice, but a maximum of two-thirds semolina and one third all purpose flour is recommended. If you are making pasta with others flours such as whole wheat or buckwheat, remember tat different grinds and grains have different absorption levels and qualities of elasticity.

Eggs used should be the freshest available, as their freshness influences not only the flavor and color of the pasta, but also the elastic quality of the dough. The standard proportion of eggs to flour is 1 medium egg to every 3/4 cup flour, and a pinch of salt is generally added. It is sometimes necessary to use a little water, but this will depend on the particular flours used and the humidity at the time. Egg-less pasta is made the same way as egg pasta except that the eggs are replaced in volume by water.

The only equipment you need is a board and a long rolling pin. However, a food processor takes the labor out of mixing, and a hand-cranked pasta machine simplifies and takes the guesswork out of rolling and cutting. For a basic dough, you need 1.5 cup all purpose flour, 2 eggs, a large pinch of salt and some water. This amount is enough to make two main courses or three entrees.

Mixing by Hand

Use a pastry board or a large bowl, Put flour in a mound with a well in the center.

Add eggs and salt, and start blending with a fork or fingers, incorporating more and more of the flour into the eggs and working from the inside outward. When flour and eggs are combined, start to knead the dough on the board, incorporating extra flour or adding water as necessary.

It will take about  5 minutes to get a smooth, firm dough. If durum wheat semolina is used, allow a good 7 to 10 minutes of kneading. It takes this long for the hard semolina to absorb moisture and develop its strong, pliable characteristics.

Only experience can tell you when the dough is ready. It should not be sticky or wet to the touch. If you can knead it well without adding flour, it is probably ready. When finished, cover the dough with a tea towel or upturned bowl to prevent a crust forming, and let it stand for at least 15 minutes.

Mixing in a Processor

Use the metal blade. Add dry ingredients to the bowl.

With the motor running, add eggs through the feed tube. After 5 seconds a ball should from. If the dough is still sticky, add flour until a ball forms or the machine slows down or stops. In some cases a few drops of water may be necessary to take the dough from other mealy stage. Take the dough out and knead it until elastic, 2 to 3 minutes. Rest dough as above.