Master Recipe For Pasta Dough

Steps:

• Beat flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt together in a bowl. Add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to flour mixture until a smooth and very thick dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead for 10 minutes. Let dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Divide dough into 8 balls and use a pasta machine to roll and cut dough into desired pasta shape.

Steps:

• Put flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add eggs and yolks, and mix with hands or wooden spoon for a minute or so, until dough comes together. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.) If dough seems dry or crumbly, add 1 or 2 tablespoons cold water, but only enough to keep the dough together.
• Turn dough out onto a board and knead to form a ball. Flatten dough ball to a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic, and let rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour (several hours is fine).
• Divide dough into 4 pieces. Knead each piece until smooth. Roll with a rolling pin or pasta machine as thinly as possible (but not quite paper-thin). Cut each sheet in half, making 8 smaller sheets. Dust dough sheets lightly with semolina to keep them from sticking. Stack 2 or 3 sheets, roll loosely, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide noodles or other desired shape. Continue until all dough is used. Gently fluff noodles and spread on a semolina-dusted baking sheet. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to cook.

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Gather your ingredients.
• 3. Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.
• 4. Chef's Note: The salt is not a traditional ingredient; however, it helps in the hydration of the flour.
• 5. Chef's Note: When I'm making egg-noodle dumplings, or noodles for chicken soup, I like to add about a 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper. It gives the noodles just a bit of a bite that really enhances the soup. If I were to speculate, I would say that using white pepper in pasta is more of an "American" addition to the recipe.
• 6. Types of Flour The type of flour you use will determine the consistency of the pasta you are making. In this recipe we are using good ole' all-purpose flour, mainly because it makes dang good pasta, and you probably have a bag or two of the stuff sitting in your pantry. My Aunt Josephine used all-purpose, and that's good enough for me. But let's take a minute and reference the three types of flour you are likely to encounter in your pasta-making excursions. 1. All-Purpose: Makes good pasta that is easy to knead, and holds up in a variety of situations. 2. 00-Fine Milled: Makes pasta that is easy to work, and produces a very silky result that can be rolled out very thin without tearing. 3. Semolina: Depending on the type of pasta/sauce combination you're making, you might add a bit of semolina to the flour base. The semolina adds a rough exterior to the pasta and helps thin sauces cling better to the noodles.
• 7. Chef's Tip: When you are separating the egg whites from the yolks, remember to save the egg whites. If your dough is a bit dry, you will use the whites to increase the hydration levels.
• 8. Add the eggs and blend on medium speed until the flour and the eggs begin to come together, about 1 minute.
• 9. Chef's Tip: Some people will add things like milk, baking soda, etc. to their pasta. In a word: Don't. We're trying to make a traditional light Italian pasta.
• 10. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook, and knead on medium for an additional 2 minutes.
• 11. Where's the Water? Well those sneaky little chickens hid the water in the egg whites. So save the additional egg whites, and if your dough appears a bit dry, add a bit more egg white (a little at a time), until the dough comes together. Adding just plain water to pasta can make the final results a bit mushy... at least to my tastes.
• 12. Where's the Olive Oil? No olive oil... The oil will only make it harder for the flour to develop good gluten. Save the oil for dressing the pasta after cooking.
• 13. Once the dough is smooth, allow it to rest in the bowl for ten minutes.
• 14. Chef's Tip: Depending on the relative humidity, and the type of flour you are using, you will probably need to add a bit of the reserved egg whites to achieve the desired results.
• 15. After 10 minutes, remove the dough from the bowl, and place on a lightly floured surface.
• 16. Knead the dough until elastic and smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• 17. Chef's Note: There is a lot to be said for experience when kneading dough. It needs to "feel" elastic and springy; plus it should not stick to your hands. At the beginning of the process, it might start out a bit sticky, so you may need to add a bit more flour... but just a small amount at a time. Remember it should be smooth, elastic, springy to the touch, and not stick to your hands.
• 18. After kneading the dough, cover on the board, and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
• 19. Chef's Note: Many recipes call for a short 5-minute rest period, or no resting at all. The additional resting time allows the moisture to be fully absorbed into the flour, and will make it easier to roll out.
• 20. After the resting period, cut the dough ball into fourths, and roll out one quarter at at time.
• 21. Cut into thick or thin strips, your choice.
• 22. Place the fresh-cut noodles into "nests" and sprinkle with a bit of semolina to keep the fresh dough from sticking together.
• 23. Chef's Note: If you are cooking the pasta, go for it, no waiting required.
• 24. To cook, add a bit of salt to a large pot of boiling water, and cook until al dente, about 3 to 5 minutes.
• 25. If you are saving, it will keep in the fridge for a day or two, but you can freeze it and it will keep for several months.
• 26. Chef's Note: Do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.
• 27. Cooking Ideas
• 28. Roll out to a thickness of about 1/8 inch (.3cm), and cut into lengths of various widths. Serve thinner width noodles as you would traditional spaghetti, with sauce and meatballs, and thicker cuts with cream or parmesan sauces, and/or soups.
• 29. Roll out slightly thicker than standard noodles (up to 1/4 inch (.6cm)), cut into widths of 1 inch (2.5cm) or more, and serve with a nice chicken soup as egg-noodle dumplings.
• 30. Roll out into thin sheets of 1/8 inch (.3cm), or slightly thinner, and use in making lasagna. If you've never had lasagna with thin homemade noodles, you are in for a treat. The ultra thin noodles allow for the flavors of the meat and cheese to subtlety blend together, in a beautiful way. This is something store-bought noodles cannot accomplish.
• 31. Roll out into thin sheets of 1/8 inch (.3cm), and then use to make nice ravioli, or how about some delicious manicotti?
• 32. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
• 33. If you enjoyed this recipe, and would like to be notified when I post more yummy stuff, just click here to follow me: https://www.justapinch.com/my/favorites/add/id/747894

Steps:

• Pulse flour in workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade to evenly distribute.
• Add eggs; process until dough forms a rough ball.
• (about 30 seconds.
• If dough resembles small pebbles, add water, ½ teaspoon at a time.
• If dough sticks to side of workbowl, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process until dough forms a rough ball.).
• Turn dough ball and small bits out onto a dry work surface.
• knead until dough is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until you're ready to run through pasta machine.

Steps:

• Mound the flour in the center of a large, wide mixing bowl. Dig a well in the center of the mound and add eggs and yolks. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. The dough will start to come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.
• Use your fingers to continue to mix the dough. Press any loose bits of flour into the mass of dough. If needed, add another egg yolk or a tablespoon of water to absorb all of the flour. Once the dough comes together into a cohesive mass, remove it from the bowl.
• Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 4 to 5 more minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and uniform in color. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside for at least 30 minutes (and up to 4 hours) at room temperature.
• Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly dust with semolina flour. Set aside.
• Cut off a quarter of the dough. Rewrap rest, and set aside. Use the heel of your hand to flatten the dough into an oval approximately the same width as your pasta machine, about six inches. Set the rollers to their widest setting and pass the dough through.
• Lay the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board or countertop and neatly press together into halves, so it's again about the same width of the pasta machine. Feed the pasta through again at the widest setting. Think of these first rollings as an extended kneading. Continue to fold the dough in thirds and roll it until it is smooth, silky and even-textured. Do your best to make the sheet the full width of the machine.
• Once the dough is silky and smooth, you can begin to roll it out more thinly. Roll it once through each of the next two or three settings, adding flour as needed, until the dough is about 1/4-inch thick.
• Once the pasta is about 1/4-inch thick, begin rolling it twice through each setting. As you roll, lightly sprinkle all-purpose or 00 flour on both sides of the pasta to prevent it from sticking to itself.
• Roll out pasta until you can just see the outline of your hand when you hold it under a sheet, about 1/16-inch thick for noodles, or 1/32-inch thick for a filled pasta. (On most machines, you won't make it to the thinnest setting.)
• Cut pasta into sheets, about 12 to 14 inches long. Dust the sheets lightly with semolina flour and stack on one of the prepared baking sheets and cover with a clean, lightly dampened kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough.