Pasta Dough in Food Processor or By Hand
Learn how to make Pasta Dough in Food Processor. Pasta is traditionally made on a work surface and not in a bowl. But if you are making pasta dough for the first time, please use a bowl!Roll it by hand or with a pasta machine; whichever method you choose, it must be thin enough to read a newspaper through. Italians use very fine flour called "00" in pasta dough, but all-purpose works well too.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 lb all-purpose flour
- 0.5 teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, organic preferably
- 4 tablespoons chilled water
Instructions
Make the pasta dough by hand:
- Mound the flour on a work surface or in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.
- Break the eggs into the well and whisk with a fork, incorporating the flour as you whisk. You may need to add little-chilled water, ¼ teaspoon at a time, to make the loosely massed dough.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface; it should be soft, pliable and dry to the touch. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic with a slightly glossy appearance.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and leave for 30 minutes. It is then ready to roll out.
Make the pasta dough using a food processor:
- Mix the flour for 3 seconds, and then add the eggs with the motor running. Mix again for 5 seconds, or until the mixture looks like a coarse meal. Mix until loose ball forms.
- If the dough seems too sticky to form a smooth ball, add some flour, mix briefly and continue adding flour until the ball forms.
- If the mixture is too dry, add chilled water, a teaspoon at a time.
- Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and elastic. It is then ready to roll out.
To roll out the pasta dough by hand:
- Divide the dough into 2 or 3 manageable portions.
- Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others refrigerated, wrapped in plastic.
- Flatten the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out from the center to the outer edge, rotating the dough often to the same side.
- When you have a ¼ inch thick circle of dough, fold it in half and roll it out again. Do this eight times to get a smooth circle of pasta, and then roll to a thickness of 1 inch.
- Keep it covered and don’t allow to dry out.|
- If you have a pasta machine, work the dough through the rollers, making the setting smaller each time until the dough is the correct thickness.
