Fresh Pasta Dough Recipes

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.

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 DOUGH

Steps:

• Mound the flour on a clean work surface. Hollow out the center making a well in the middle of the flour with steep sides.
• Break the eggs into the well. Add the salt, and olive oil to the hollow center and gently mix together with a fork. Gradually start incorporating the flour by pulling in the flour from the sides of the well. As you incorporate more of the flour, the dough will start to take shape.
• With your hands or a bench scraper continue working the dough until it comes together. If the dough is too dry, add a little water; if too wet or sticky, add a little flour.
• Begin kneading the dough and keep kneading until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. At this point, set the dough aside, cover it with plastic, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. You can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but allow it to return to room temperature before rolling it out.
• Divide the pasta dough into 4 even sections. Keep each section covered with plastic wrap or a clean towel while you work with each one. Flour the dough, the rollers of a pasta roller (or your rolling pin), your hands, and the work surface.
• If using a pasta machine: Flatten 1 of the of the dough pieces between your hands or with a floured rolling pin until it forms a thick oval disk. Dust the disk, the roller, and your hands with additional flour. Flour a baking sheet to hold the rolled out finished pasta.
• With the roller on the widest setting, pass the pasta through the machine's rollers a few times until it is smooth. Fold the dough over into 1/3, and continue to pass through a few more times until the pasta is smooth again. Begin adjusting the pasta machine settings to become thinner, passing the dough through a few times at each setting.
• If rolling the pasta by hand: Flatten a dough piece into a thick oval disk with your hands. Flour a baking sheet for the rolled out finished pasta. Place the oval dough disk on a floured work surface, and sprinkle with additional flour. Begin rolling out the dough with a floured rolling pin working from the center of the dough outwards, constantly moving the dough and lifting it to make sure it's not sticking.
• Flavor and color variations:
• Cook's Note: All color additions should be added to eggs before incorporating into the flour. Keep in mind that you will need to add a little bit of flour to your basic pasta recipe to compensate for the additional liquid added
• Spinach Pasta Dough (green hue): Blanch 8 ounces (about 3 cups) spinach leaves. Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Press the spinach puree through a small strainer or chinois, removing the liquid before mixing with the eggs. Add 3 tablespoons spinach puree to the eggs before mixing. If the dough feels too sticky, add additional flour until a soft, silky dough is achieved.
• Tomato Pasta Dough (orange hue): Add 2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste to the eggs before incorporating into the flour.
• Beet Pasta Dough (pinkish-red hue): Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roast 1 large beet in aluminum foil, about 45 minutes, or until tender. Peel the beet and puree in a food processor. Add the beet puree (about 4 tablespoons) to eggs before incorporating into the flour.
• Herb Pasta Dough (speckled): Mince 1/2 cup fresh herbs and add to eggs before incorporating into the flour.
• Squid Ink Pasta Dough (black hue): Add 1 tablespoon squid ink to the eggs before incorporating into the flour.

FRESH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Blend all ingredients in a food processor until mixture just begins to form a ball. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface, incorporating only as much additional flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

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.