Fresh Pasta Dough Recipes

BASIC FRESH PASTA DOUGH

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.

FRESH PASTA

Steps:

• Place the cake flour, all-purpose flour, egg yolks and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. With the machine running, gradually add the oil then 1/3 to 1/2 cup water until the mixture forms a dough (the dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers). If necessary, add additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time if the dough is too dry.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Gather the dough into a ball and knead until the dough is smooth, 5 to 8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough into quarters and press flat. Run each piece of pasta dough several times through a pasta-rolling machine, adjusting the setting each time, until the pasta is about 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. Cut the pasta into the desired shape and use as needed.

FRESH PASTA

Steps:

• Heap the flour, and make a well in it. Break the eggs into the well. Beat eggs with a fork. Stir into the flour from the bottom of the well with the fork until the dough in the center is smooth or shiny.
• With your hands, gradually incorporate the flour from the outside of the well toward the center, kneading gently until the mass of dough comes together. Knead the dough until it is smooth and resilient. You may need to add more flour, or you may not be able to incorporate all of the flour, depending on the humidity and the size of the eggs. If the dough is sticky or extremely pliable, knead more flour into it.
• Divide the dough into three portions, cover with plastic wrap or an overturned bowl, and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough out very thin on a lightly floured surface, one portion at a time. If you have a pasta machine, follow the manufacturer's instructions for rolling out the dough into sheets about 1 millimeter thick. Use as desired.

FRESH PASTA

Steps:

• To make the dough by hand, mound flour in the center of a work surface, and make a well in the middle. Crack eggs into the well.
• Beat eggs with a fork until smooth, then begin to work flour into eggs with the fork.
• Use a bench scraper to work in the rest of the flour, a bit at a time.
• Once all the flour has been incorporated, start working the dough with your hands to form a rounded mass for kneading. Be sure your work surface is clean of all loose bits of dough; lightly dust with flour. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Cover dough with an inverted bowl or plastic wrap; allow to rest 1 1/2 hours, or chill overnight.
• To roll using a machine: Divide dough into 4 pieces. Quickly knead and flatten a portion of dough into a disc shape somewhat narrower than the machine opening; very lightly dust the dough with flour. Feed through at your machine's widest setting. (If pasta pulls or tears when passing through machine, simply sprinkle a little more flour over the dough, just before it's fed, to keep it from sticking. When finished, remove excess flour with a dry brush.) As the pasta sheet emerges, gently support it with your palm and guide it onto the work surface. Fold the sheet lengthwise into thirds. Repeat sequence twice with the same setting to smooth the dough and increase its elasticity. Then thin the dough by passing it through ever finer settings, one pass on each setting from widest to narrowest (machine settings differ -- some have as many as 10, others only 6). For ribbon pasta, roll remaining three portions of dough as soon as the first is finished. For filled pasta, it's best to roll and cut a single portion at a time, otherwise the dough will dry out.
• To roll by hand: Lightly flour a clean work surface. With a rolling pin, vigorously roll dough to a very thin circle; apply even pressure. As it stretches, roll constantly. Do not bear down, or it will tear. Roll for several minutes, until dough is as thin as possible, almost translucent. If it shrinks back as you roll, cover with a towel, and let rest 10 minutes before you resume rolling.
• To cut by hand: Lightly fold sheets one at a time into thirds. Cut with a sharp knife to desired thickness.

HOW TO MAKE HANDMADE PASTA RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• On a clean, sturdy work surface, turn out your chosen flour(s) and salt and make a large well in the middle with your hands.
• Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and olive oil together in a medium bowl until combined, then pour the mixture into the well.
• Using the same fork, whisk the eggs, slowly incorporating more and more flour into the eggs by moving your fork along the edges of the well.
• Once almost all of the flour is incorporated, start bringing the dough together with your hands. (The dough should be malleable, but not sticky--add more flour if the dough is sticking too much to your hands or the surface. Alternatively, if it's too dry and tough, whisk another egg with 1 tablespoon of water and use your hand to sprinkle some of the mixture over the dough, continuing to do so until the dough is easier to knead.)
• Knead the dough for 7-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. When you poke the dough, it should spring back.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour, or until the dough does not spring back when poked.
• Unwrap the dough and cut into 8 equal pieces so that it's easier to work with. Take 1 piece and wrap the rest in the plastic wrap so that they don't dry out.
• Lightly flour your work surface, and begin rolling out the piece of dough into one long piece. Then, fold the top third down, and the bottom third over that, like a letter. Rotate the dough 90˚ and roll the piece back into a long shape. This helps form a more even rectangular shape and makes the dough a little bit easier to work with.
• Continue rolling out the dough until it is very thin. When you lift the dough, you should be able to see your hands through it.
• Fold the top and bottom of the rectangle to meet in the middle, then fold over again--this will make the dough easier to cut. Cut the dough to your ideal shape. Loosen or unravel the cut dough immediately, so it doesn't stick, sprinkle with a bit of extra flour, or semolina, if using. Let the pasta sit out for about 30 minutes to dry out slightly.
• Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and stir to ensure it doesn't clump. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or 30 seconds to 1 minute after the pasta comes to the surface (fresh pasta will cook much faster than dried pasta!)
• Take out a noodle and taste for doneness. Once cooked to your liking, remove the pasta from the water, being sure to save at least 1 cup (240 ML) of the pasta cooking water.
• Add the cooked pasta into your preferred sauce and stir to coat, adding some of the reserved pasta water if needed to add a bit of body and silkiness to the sauce.
• Enjoy!

EASY HOMEMADE 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.

FRESH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Mix dough Mound the all-purpose flour in the center of a clean work surface or in a large wide bowl and form a well in the middle. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs and salt with a fork until smooth, then pour into the well. Begin to work the flour into the eggs with the fork. Then use your hands to work the rest of the flour into the mixture, a bit at a time, just to form a sticky dough (don't force all the flour to be incorporated; it's okay if some remains on the work surface).
• Knead dough Start working the dough with your hands to form a rounded mass for kneading. Knead dough about 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Scrape any loose bits of dough from the work surface with a bench scraper.
• Rest dough Form dough into a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic and let rest 1 1/2 hours at room temperature.
• Roll dough with machine Use a bench scraper to cut dough into eight equal pieces (four for filled pasta shapes and lasagne). Working with one piece at a time (keep remaining pieces covered with a clean kitchen towel), flatten dough into an oblong shape somewhat narrower than the pasta machine's thickest setting (number 1). Very lightly dust with all-purpose flour and feed through machine. Fold dough in thirds and rotate 90 degrees. Pass through two more times on the same setting to smooth dough and increase its elasticity. Adjust the setting to the next level (number 2), and pass pasta dough through two times, gently supporting it with the palm of your hand as it emerges. Continue to pass through ever-finer settings, once on each setting. End with next-to-thinnest setting for pastas and lasagne; thinnest setting for ravioli (lasagne should be slightly thicker; filled pastas, thinner, almost transparent). If dough bubbles or tears, simply pass through one or two more times to patch the dough (dust lightly with more all-purpose flour if dough is sticking). As each sheet of dough has been rolled to the desired thickness, immediately cut into desired shapes or strands, according to the instructions that follow.
• Alternatively, roll pasta by hand Divide dough into pieces, as above. Lightly dust a clean work surface with all-purpose flour. With a rolling pin, vigorously roll out dough to a very thin circle, applying even pressure and working from the center out, without actually rolling over edges (which would cause them to stick to the work surface, and inhibit stretching). Do not bear down too hard or dough will tear. Roll constantly for several minutes, until dough is as thin as possible (it should be almost translucent). If it starts to shrink back as you roll, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rest 10 minutes before resuming. To cut strands by hand, working with one sheet at a time, lightly fold dough into thirds, and use a pastry wheel or a sharp knife to cut desired thickness.
• Drape dough over a drying rack until only slightly tacky, 10 to 15 minutes. Run dough sheet through the pasta machine (fitted with the appropriate attachment) to cut into strands, including tagliatelle or spaghetti. (If making pappardelle, cut by hand into 1-inch-thick strands fig. 5.1; there is no setting on machines for this shape.) Then immediately drape strands over rack until they are almost dry and do not stick together, about 20 minutes. If not cooking immediately, keep strands flat on a baking sheet lightly dusted with semolina flour (or cornmeal); cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. To dry and store longer (up to 2 weeks), follow instructions on page 363.
• Before making pasta dough, clear ample counter space for kneading, laying, and cutting the dough.
• You will need room to dry the strands. If you don't have a wooden drying rack (a laundry or dish rack works just fine), get creative. You can lay the strands out on tabletops or drape them over chair backs; cover the chairs with clean dishcloths, and lightly dust the flat surfaces with semolina flour.
• Eggs and flour should be at room temperature to ensure that they combine well.
• When mixing the dough, hold back on adding all of the flour called for in the recipe until you are sure it will be needed, which can vary depending on the freshness of the egg, among other factors.
• Work with just one piece of dough at a time, rolling it out and then immediately cutting it into shapes before starting on the next piece.
• When resting or storing fresh pasta on baking sheets, first sprinkle them lightly and evenly with semolina flour, which is coarser than other types of flour and keeps the dough from sticking more effectively. Coarse-ground cornmeal is a good substitute.