Making Fresh Egg Pasta
There is a significant difference between a dried noodle from a box and a sheet of pasta rolled by hand. You are looking for a dough that feels like a firm earlobe and maintains its shape under the blade of a knife.
Patience is your primary ingredient.
The resting period allows the gluten to relax, which makes rolling the sheets much easier. Do not skip this step or the dough will fight back.
- Wooden board or clean granite countertop
- Bench scraper
- Rolling pin or pasta machine
- Large pot
What goes in.
- 300gType 00 flour
- 3large eggs
- 1 tspfine sea salt
Developing the Gluten
Knead the dough firmly for ten minutes. Use the heel of your palm to push the mass away from you, then fold it back over itself until the surface is uniform and springs back when poked.
The method.
Mix the base
Mound the flour on your work surface and create a deep crater in the center. Crack the eggs into the well and add salt. Use a fork to beat the eggs, gradually pulling in flour from the inner walls until the mixture becomes a thick paste.
Form the dough
Use the bench scraper to fold the remaining flour into the paste. Once a shaggy ball forms, begin kneading by hand. If it is dry, wet your hands with water; if it sticks to the board, dust with a whisper of flour.
Rest
Wrap the ball in plastic wrap or cover with an inverted bowl. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The dough will go from tough to supple.
Roll
Cut the dough into four pieces. Roll one piece at a time, keeping the others covered. Aim for a thickness where you can see the shadow of your hand through the sheet.
Cut and cook
Dust the sheet lightly with flour, fold it loosely into a cylinder, and slice into ribbons. Drop immediately into rapidly boiling water. When they rise to the top, give them 30 seconds and drain.
Other turns to take.
Semolina Pasta
Replace half of the Type 00 flour with fine semolina for a firmer, chewier bite.
Spinach Infused
Add 50g of finely chopped, blanched, and squeezed-dry spinach to the eggs before mixing.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always salt the boiling water until it tastes like the sea.
If using a machine, start at the widest setting and pass the dough through twice before tightening the rollers.
Do not rinse the cooked pasta; the starch on the surface is necessary for the sauce to cling.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why is my dough cracking?
It is too dry. Add water half a teaspoon at a time while kneading until it becomes cohesive.
Can I freeze it?
Yes. Dust the cut pasta generously with flour, nest it into small piles, and freeze on a tray before transferring to a bag.
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