My obsession for homemade pasta is no secret. What is (or at least has been) a secret is how easy it really is to create your own in just a few simple steps (especially with the help of a pasta roller attachment for that Kitchenaid stand mixer that’s been gathering dust on your counter). So, roll up your sleeves and get ready to roll out some dough. I promise you’ll never see (or taste) pasta the same way again.
First, measure 2 1/3 cups all purpose flour* and place it in a mound on a large cutting board (or other clean, dry workspace)...
Using your fingers or a spoon, create a crater in your flour...
Crack three large (room temperature) eggs into your flour crater...
Then add 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil...
and 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt.
Using a spoon, begin incorporating the flour into the egg, oil and salt, working from the center of the crater outward.
Once you have incorporated most of the flour into the egg mixture, use your hands to form a ball.
Once you have formed a ball, begin kneading the dough with the base of one hand. If the dough is dry and you are having trouble incorporating all the flour from your work surface, add a tablespoon of lukewarm water and continue kneading.
Knead the dough until it is silky and cornmeal yellow in color, about 10 minutes.
Once you've finished kneading, wrap the ball of dough tightly in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
While your dough is resting, attach your pasta roller to your Kitchenaid.**
Flatten a golfball-sized piece of dough with your hands, and, with your Kitchenaid on speed 3-4, feed the dough through the roller, starting at Level 1 on the roller's dial.
Continue feeding the same piece of dough through the roller, working your way up a level on the dial each time until you get to 6 or 7. Repeat with your remaining dough.
If you want to make spaghetti or fettucini, attach the appropriate cutter to your Kitchenaid. J and I were making tagliatelli (wide ribbons), so we cut our pasta by hand.
The best way to keep your noodles from sticking together is to hang them, but you can also lay them out on a floured surface.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add your pasta. It will only take 2-3 minutes to cook, so be sure your sauce is ready! This is an amazing goat and mushroom ragu that had been simmering away on my stove for several hours last Sunday.
Cheers and buon appetito! May you enjoy your homemade pasta as much as I enjoy mine!!
* If you want to make whole wheat pasta dough, you can still use this recipe, but I recommend substituting no more than half whole wheat flour, as the more whole wheat flour you use, the chewier your pasta will be. You will also likely need to add additional water during the kneading process.
** If you don’t have a Kitchenaid (or pasta roller attachment), you can use some muscle and a rolling pin or spring for a traditional tabletop pasta roller like this one, which is what I first learned to make pasta with.
SPC
August 1, 2011 at 9:29 pm
Brilliant! I successfully made pasta a few weeks (months?) ago, but it was a bit too egg-y for me. Since the first time I tried to make pasta I threw away two batches I was pretty happy with it. I used my food processer to knead the dough . . . think I could try that here?
Laurel
August 2, 2011 at 6:05 am
You can certainly give it a shot, although there’s no real substitute for a good hand kneading. I would suggest following the steps I’ve listed up to the point where you’ve created an actual ball of dough before moving to your mixer.