Hand Made “pasta dough”

This pasta dough recipe is simply easy to recreate. Recipe video on you tube at https://youtu.be/31CUv1Xovzc There is nothing more fun that making your own pasta and it is so different than the industrial pasta available in shops. This was passed on to by a Nona from Montepulciano a little village of Tuscany in Italy. She told me, that back in the days she used to make it with her family on the Sunday afternoon. They were always gathering together at the end of the week to prepare the different pasta for the week and for the entire family. You can create endless shapes, fillings and sauce to go with pasta. People will love you for it and it is fun to make with friends. As Nonna used to say “Andiamo Andiamo” Happy cooking everyone. Let me know what you think. You can comment on this blog or under my video my you tube channel. Subscribe to both to watch the videos and to get the full recipes and tips. Ciao. "Life is a combination of magic and pasta." Federico fellini David
Servings: 6 yield(s)
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 3 mins
Total Time: 33 mins
Ingredients
    From the Pasture:
  • 4 Eggs 60g (pieces)
  • From the Pantry:
  • 30 ml Olive oil
  • 400 g Plain flour (or all purpose flour)
  • 2 g Salt
  • 20g Flour (For rolling out the dough)
Instructions
  1. Gather all your ingredients and use a scale to measure correctly
  2. Sift your flour in a large bowl. Add the salt to the flour and mix it in.
  3. Add the salt to the flour and mix it in.
  4. Add the olive oil and all the eggs. You can beat all the eggs together if you wish to do so.
  5. Using one hand mix all ingredients together until it comes together as a ball. If your mixture does not combine well enough add few drops of cold water.
  6. If your mixture does not combine well enough add few drops of cold water.
  7. Now get ready for the work out. On a clean bench tear and stretch the dough vigorously. The dough should look nice and smooth when ready. It should take about 5 to 8 min by hands. If you have a bowl mixer equipment it is time to use it. Use the dough hook and work the dough until its nice and smooth. It should take 4 to 5 min. Your dough should feel firm.
  8. KEEP TEARING AND STRETCHING THE DOUGH
  9. Wrap your pasta dough in plastic film and keep in the fridge to rest for 1 hour at least.
  10. Dust your bench with flour and roll out your dough to 1 to 2 mm thin. It is best to cut your dough in half and repeat the process twice, rather than trying to do the entire dough at once.
  11. If you have a pasta machine (laminator), dust your bench and roll out your dough to 5 mm thick.
  12. Using the highest setting (the one that open the biggest space between the rollers). Dust with flour the pasta machine and slide your dough between the rolling pins. Start rolling the dough and gently pull the rolled dough from the other side of the machine. Repeat the process twice on the same setting
  13. Reduce the increment by 2 settings on your machine. You will see the rollers getting closer together. Dust the rollers with a bit of flour and repeat the process twice on the same setting.
  14. Repeat the process one more time by reducing the increments on your pasta machine and you should now have a long pasta sheet. Put it on a dusted four bench.
  15. From here you can cut the sheet into lasagna sheet, ravioli or cut it whatever shapes you feel like. Many pasta machines come with an attachment cutting the dough the size of linguine or tagliatelle.
  16. Take one section and put it through the attachment as you processed the dough
  17. Once you collect your tagliatelle you can either put them on a pasta dryer rack, like me a wooden broom or as I saw in Italy on a clothes line.
  18. You can keep your fresh pasta in the fridge for up to 2 days or freezer up to 2 months.
  19. They are best fresh and cooked on the day. yet you always need to let them fry off for for an hour prior cooking.
  20. Using your favourite large sauce pan or stew pot, heat up a large amount of water with salt. You should taste the water to feel a bit of saltiness. Once the water is boiling, throw in the pasta and cook for 2 to 3 min. “Al Dente” it means that the pasta is cooked but still a bit firm when bitten.
  21. Once the water is boiling, throw in the pasta and cook for 2 to 3 min. “Al Dente” it means that the pasta is cooked but still a bit firm when bitten.
  22. Strain your pasta immediately
  23. Your pasta a ready to be served either as they are tossed with a bit of virgin olive oil, like the French with BUTTER or your favourite sauce (tomato sauce, pesto, carbonara ….). Once toss in the sauce just serve them. Bon Appetit.
Recipe Notes

Tips You can keep your fresh pasta in the fridge for up to 2 days or freezer up to 2 months. You can use spelt flour instead of plain flour it will make your pasta a little lighter and sometimes easier to digest. Using a mixing bowl machine will make the dough much easier to make and a little faster. I strongly recommend to have a pasta machine as it really makes the experience easier, fun and having a very high-end quality product. When you cook your pasta use a large quantity of water and a large sauce pot. It will avoid your pasta to stick together. Salt your water and taste it.  Fresh pasta cooks in 2 to 3 min. You do not need to add oil in the boiling water it is a waste of oil and does nothing to improve your pasta. Cooking Terminology Boiling: It is a cooking terminology that means your liquid reaches a temperature of 100 Celsius. When you are boiling your ingredients should be totally submerged in the liquid. Dusting Flour: Is really using a bit flour on a bench to prevent sticking. It is a light action to throw flour on a bench looking like dust.