Tips for making homemade pasta
If any of you have been to Italy, you know how good fresh pasta dishes can be. Homemade pasta can also be replicated at home, but it takes a bit of time and technique to get the right consistency and flavor. Today we are sharing our tips for making fresh pasta and hope you enjoy creating this timeless classic Italian cuisine.
Dried pasta from a box is convenient, however, fresh pasta has a lot more flavor to it. To make fresh pasta, all you need is olive oil, water, eggs, and flour. If you want to add a bit of garlic powder and basil to season the dough, feel free to experiment with it a little. Some recipes call for all-purpose flour and others say to use semolina flour. However, we have found that using equal parts of both of these flours creates the best consistency for homemade pasta. You don’t need a stand mixer or pasta machine to make pasta, but these tools will definitely make the process go quicker.
Mix your ingredients and then knead it. A word to the wise, pasta dough is not as soft as bread dough, so kneading by hand may just give you an arm workout. This is where a stand mixer comes in handy. You can knead the dough by using the dough hook attachment and let the machine do the hard work for you. There is no exact amount of time you have to knead, however, there is an easy way to check if it’s done. Stick your knuckle in the dough and if it slowly pushes back it is good to go. If your knuckle creates an indentation, knead it some more. After kneading it, cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. This resting period relaxes the gluten and makes the dough pliable enough to work with later. Do not skip this important step, all dough will need time to rest. In the meantime, you can sit back and enjoy your favorite show or read a book to pass the time.
Next, get a clean surface such as a countertop and use a rolling pin to shape the dough into one even layer. Fold it into thirds to create smooth edges. Continue this process by hand until it is rolled out to your desired thickness. The goal is to create long sheets of pasta, so divide up the dough as you see fit. If you are using a pasta machine, make sure the dough is well floured at every stage, or else it will get stuck inside the machine. The flour comes right off once it’s cooked so it is hard to go overboard with the flour, don’t be shy. Start with the thickest setting and work your way down gradually.
Pasta machines can also cut pasta for you, but you can do that step by hand too if you want. Using a sharp knife, cut your pasta to the desired width. If you want to make lasagna sheets, the regular dimensions are about 7 inches long and 3 ½ inches wide. (Note: You don’t need to boil fresh lasagna if you are planning to use it immediately). If you want stringy noodles, fold the pasta over and sprinkle flour on it to make it easier to cut all the way across. Separate the noodles and boil them in water for a few minutes if you want to eat them immediately. Alternatively, you can store fresh noodles in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. If you want to hang them on a rack to dry, that is another great option. It all depends on how quickly you want to use the pasta after you make a batch.
We hope you enjoy making homemade pasta. If you want a simple recipe to get you started, this will make enough for about 6 servings of pasta: ¾ cup of semolina flour, ¾ cup of all-purpose flour, 2 eggs (leave them at room temperature and beat them slightly before making the pasta), 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of water, ½ teaspoon of salt.