Pasta From Scratch
Pasta is a heart warming dish that is served for so many reasons. Pasta can be a quick weeknight meal, the center of attention for a holiday or a romantic main course. This blank canvas pairs with endless sauces, vegetables and proteins. Deciding which direction to take it is the hardest part.
Once you've had real pasta from scratch (not the stuff from a box) you never want it any other way. Spoil your family to some homemade pasta. After you have mastered the technique its time to get the whole family involved. Making pasta from scratch together is the perfect place to start creating family memories. Have fun making a mess together! Buon appetito!
Let the mess begin! Start by measuring your flour and salt right onto a wooden board. Wood is the best work surface for doughs since it will be less likely to stick and require less bench flour. Get your fork (no its not time to eat yet) and bench scraper ready...the magic is about to happen.
Make a well in the center of the flour. What's a well? Turn your flour into a swimming pool thats large enough to hold the eggs and olive oil without overflowing.
Scramble those eggs with your fork like its time for breakfast! Mix in all of the flour so the dough looks messy and shaggy.
Knead the pasta with floured hands until a smooth cohesive dough forms. It should have elasticity and bounce back when you lightly press down on it. If the dough feels very firm and more like a super ball, you overworked it. Just give it a longer resting time and it should cooperate just fine. Move to the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight.
Take a look at the recipe below for detailed instructions on how to roll the pasta.
Pasta Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon olive oil
Mixing the dough
Mix flour and salt in a bowl or on a wooden board. Form a well in the center, add eggs, yolk and olive oil.
Scramble the egg mixture with a fork. Once beaten, start bringing the flour into the well. Keep mixing until a paste-like consistency forms.
Continue stirring in all of the flour with the fork. The dough should look shaggy.
Using floured hands, knead until a cohesive and springy dough forms.
Wrap the dough with plastic and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight.
Rolling the dough
Unwrap the dough on a floured work surface. Lightly flour the top of the dough and flatten with your hands. Cut the dough in half. Cover one of the halves with plastic until the first half has been rolled. Set your pasta machine to the lowest number setting (0 or 1) and roll through. Complete 1 book fold and flour the exterior of the dough. Roll through the machine again in the direction of the folds. Repeat one more book fold for a total of 2 folds. Roll through the lowest number setting once again but without folding.
Continue rolling the dough through each number setting without folding. Flour as needed and do not skip a number. Roll the dough to setting number 6 or 7 depending on your desired thickness. Hang the pasta on a rack or arrange on a well-floured surface to dry.
Once the pasta is dry it is ready to be cut into spaghetti or fettuccini.
Store uncooked pasta in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 1 month.
