Moms Pasta Dough Food

MOM'S PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Pour 1 3/4 cups flour into a large, shallow bowl and make a well in the center. Crack eggs into the well and mix flour and eggs together with a fork or your hands. Stir oil and salt into mixture; gradually add water and remaining flour until a dough starts to come together.
• Knead dough until dough is elastic and soft. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator.

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.

BASIC PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• On a clean dry work surface, make a mound of the flour and, using your fingers, make a well in the center of the mound. Using a fork, break the shell of the eggs one by one and drop the eggs into the center of the well you made of the flour. With the fork, beat the eggs together. Again using the fork, slowly begin to fold the flour in towards the center of the well to incorporate the flour into the beaten eggs. As you mix the flour with the beaten eggs, it will begin to form a doughy mass. Work this mass using your fingers until it begins to lose its moist and sticky character.
• When the mass begins to feel uniformly dry, begin to work the dough using both hands: kneading with the palms of both hands, pushing from the center of the ball of dough outwards and folding the near edge inwards to begin the kneading cycle again. The kneading stage should take about 10 minutes by hand.
• After the dough has been fully kneaded, it is time to thin the dough into sheets suitable for cutting. A manual pasta machine works wonders at this stage. Cut the ball of dough into three equal pieces. Form these pieces, by hand, into equal rectangular shape to be passed through the rollers of the pasta machine. Set the cylindrical rollers at their widest opening, put a piece of dough in the space between rollers and crank the handle to pass the dough through. As the sheet of pasta comes out the bottom of the rollers it should be set on a dry cotton towel to rest while you begin on the next piece. Repeat the thinning process with the remaining pieces of pasta, thinning and then setting aside, consecutively so that each piece of pasta is equally rolled out. When all the pasta has passed through the first rolling stage, set the machine to the next setting to begin rolling the pasta thinner. Start the rolling process again, beginning with the first piece of dough and continue with the remaining pieces. As each is rolled thinner set it aside and continue onto the next.
• As you return to the first piece of dough, set the cylinders one setting closer. Continue in this fashion until the pasta dough has been rolled out as thinly as possible.
• As the sheets of dough rest, keep them on a cotton towel, to prevent sticking to the work surface. When they are all rolled out you are ready to cut the pasta into the desired shape. They can be cut using the cutting wheels of the rolling machine or by hand using a knife.

BASIC PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Place the flour, semolina and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine the ingredients.
• Add the egg all at once and process for 30 seconds, drizzling the oil through the opening in the lid. The dough should look like coarse, wet sand.
• Dust a work surface generously with semolina.
• Transfer the dough to the work surface and bring it together in a ball.
• Knead the dough for a good 3 or 4 minutes, using the heels of your hands to push it away from you again and again, and occasionally rotating the dough 180 degrees. The dough should appear smooth and silky when you are done; it should not be sticky.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.
• Set up the pasta maker next to a work surface.
• Sprinkle a rimmed baking sheet liberally with semolina.
• Sprinkle the work surface with semolina. You'll need to keep it dusted with semolina at all times so the pasta doesn't stick as you roll and cut it.
• When ready to roll out the pasta, cut it into quarters. Work with one quarter at a time and keep the remaining portions wrapped.
• Use your fingers to work the dough into a rough 3-by-4-inch rectangle. (The dough should have the texture of Play-Doh.).
• Use the heel of your hand to flatten the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch.
• Pass the dough through the highest (thickest) setting of your pasta machine.
• Fold it into thirds, as you would a business letter, then flatten it to 1/2 inch and pass it through the machine again. Fold, press and roll one more time.
• Set the rollers on the next-highest setting and pass the dough through twice. (You don't have to fold it.).
• Continue to lower the setting one increment at a time, passing the dough through twice each time, until your dough reaches the desired thickness.
• Setting 3 is good for fettuccine and lasagna sheets.
• Setting 2 is good for filled pastas, such as tortellini, ravioli and agnolotti, or for thinner lasagna sheets.
• Use plenty of semolina to keep the dough from sticking to itself as it falls into accordion folds while coming out of the rollers.
• If you're making filled pastas, make them as you go, one sheet at a time. (If you roll all the sheets beforehand, they will dry out and might tear as you try to work with them.).
• If you're not making filled pasta, use a knife to slice the sheets into lasagna noodles or use your machine's cutters to make fettuccine or spaghetti.
• Use plenty of semolina as you stack lasagna noodles (alternate the layers lengthwise and crosswise) or form piles of cut pasta, fluffing them with semolina so they remain separate.
• Transfer the finished pasta to the prepared baking sheet as you work.
• TO FREEZE: When you have finished rolling and cutting all the pasta, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer for an hour or two, until the pasta is frozen. Wrap it in plastic or store in resealable food storage bags and freeze for up to a month. (It is a good idea to weigh the pasta and freeze it in portions.).
• MAKE AHEAD: The dough can be made a few days in advance, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen. The uncooked pasta can be frozen in portions for up to 1 month.
• NOTE: Depending on the humidity, the size of your eggs and the brand of flour you are using, you might have to adjust the amount of oil you add to achieve the desired texture. Weighing the flour and the eggs rather than relying on our uneven American measuring methods leads to more consistent results.
• NOTE: To make saffron fettuccine, combine the oil with a half-teaspoon of saffron threads in a small bowl and microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds. Allow the oil to cool, then add it and the threads to the dough.

MASTER RECIPE FOR PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Pulse flour in workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade to evenly distribute.
• Add eggs; process until dough forms a rough ball.
• (about 30 seconds.
• If dough resembles small pebbles, add water, ½ teaspoon at a time.
• If dough sticks to side of workbowl, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process until dough forms a rough ball.).
• Turn dough ball and small bits out onto a dry work surface.
• knead until dough is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Cover with plastic wrap and set aside until you're ready to run through pasta machine.

JAMIE OLIVER'S PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Place the flour on a clean surface.
• Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and yolks.
• Use a fork to break up the eggs, then start bringing in the flour.
• Stir with the fork until you have a dough which is easily workable with your hands.
• Knead well until it becomes smooth, silky and elastic and the surface is clean.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for a while.
• When you are ready to shape the pasta, break the dough into four pieces.
• Take one ball at a time, flatten it with your hand and run it through the thickest setting on your pasta machine.
• Fold in half and repeat this several times.
• Start narrowing down the settings, dusting the dough with flour each time you run it through, stopping when the sheet is 1-2mm thick.
• You can also use a rolling pin but it will take longer than if you have a pasta machine.
• When you have a thin sheet, shape as desired.
• To cook, drop the pasta into boiling water and cook just until al dente-- no more than five minutes and perhaps as little as two minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta.
• Store any extra in the fridge for up to half a day or you can dry it and store in airtight containers.

PERFECT PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Place the first 5 ingredients in a mixer using the paddle attachment (not dough hook).
• Gradually add the water (you may not need it all) until the dough begins to form a ball and is sticky.
• Remove and place on floured service; kneed for 4-5 minutes incorporating enough additional flour into the dough until the tackiness is gone.
• Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes.
• Cut into 6 pieces, and flatten (with roller or by hand) into a rectangular shape. Keep a dish towel over the other pieces to keep them from drying out.
• Run through the pasta machine at the widest setting 6-10 times until the dough is smooth. If one end is narrower than the other, fold the narrow end until the width evens a bit. To make linguine, I then begin narrowing the roller width step by step, sending the noodle though once on each setting, through the second thinnest setting. (Thinnest setting for spaghetti) Place on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with another towel.
• Repeat with the remaining pieces, slightly flouring in between noodles as you stack them. If the noodles are longer than your baking sheet, cut them in half with a pastry cutter.
• Allow the noodles to sit for 10 minutes before cutting them. It usually takes me longer than 10 minutes to roll the noodles, so I flip the noodles over and start cutting the first one rolled.
• Your sheets of noodles should no longer be tacky, and should process through the cutter without sticking. If the noodles are still sticky, you may want to flour them a bit before putting them through your cutter.
• Place noodles through desired cutter and lay on baking sheet to dry for 10-20 minutes before cooking. Dust each batch with a tiny bit of flour and separate them with your fingers to ensure they don't clump.
• Place in boiling, salted water and cook until they float to the top; 5 minutes or until your desired tenderness.

MOM'S PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Pour 1 3/4 cups flour into a large, shallow bowl and make a well in the center. Crack eggs into the well and mix flour and eggs together with a fork or your hands. Stir oil and salt into mixture; gradually add water and remaining flour until a dough starts to come together.
• Knead dough until dough is elastic and soft. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator.

MOM'S PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Pour 1 3/4 cups flour into a large, shallow bowl and make a well in the center. Crack eggs into the well and mix flour and eggs together with a fork or your hands. Stir oil and salt into mixture; gradually add water and remaining flour until a dough starts to come together.
• Knead dough until dough is elastic and soft. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator.

MOM'S PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Pour 1 3/4 cups flour into a large, shallow bowl and make a well in the center. Crack eggs into the well and mix flour and eggs together with a fork or your hands. Stir oil and salt into mixture; gradually add water and remaining flour until a dough starts to come together.
• Knead dough until dough is elastic and soft. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator.