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apryl1022
Co-op Coordinator
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Posted: Thu Jan 11th, 2007 06:40 pm |
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I keep trying to get my pasta to turn out using my fresh ground wheat but it ALWAYS seems to soft. I use my KitchenAid attachment at present to form the pasta and the noodles just fall apart right out of the machine. Can anyone offer suggestions? I use 2 cups flour, 3 egg yolks, 1 tsp. salt and only enough water to make it stick together.
Apryl
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Gigmaster
Member
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Posted: Tue Feb 20th, 2007 01:23 am |
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You left out the oil, as well as several critical steps.
Try this recipes. It's the one I use.
Basic Pasta
12 oz. fresh ground Durum, Hard red, or Hard white wheat.
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp Olive oil
A very small bit of water, sprinkled in with your hands, if needed.
1. Sift flour and salt together. Pour the flour/salt mix onto your work surface. Make a well in the center of the pile of flour and pour in the eggs and olive oil. with the tip of a fork, bring the flour gently into the egg/oil mixture until you have a stiff, but not too sticky dough. Sprinkle water sparingly on the dough if it appears too dry, but go easy with it. The dough should just barely make a ball.
2. Flour your hands and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and elastic. Wrap it in cling flim, a sealed baggie or a sealed air-tight container and let it rest for at least 1 hour.
3. When ready to make pasta, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Squeeze the dough into a rectangle roughly the same width as the pasta machine, and dust with flour. Set rollers on your machine to the thickest setting and pass the dough through. Fold it into thirds and pass it through again. Repeat this 3 or four times, then start sending the dough through progressivly thinner settings until you reach #5 (about 2mm)
4. Now, either use the dough as is for lasagne or raviolli, or pass it through spaghetti or fettucini rollers. Place cut pasta on a pasta rack or hang on a wooden spoon to dry for 10 minutes or so before cooking.
Variations: For Wacky Fettuccini (or Spaghetti), make in 2 batches. Add powdered spinach to one batch, and powdered tomato to the other. You get cool red and green pasta that tastes like spinach and tomato.
I realize that you are using a machine, but the ingredients should work. I've used several machines over the years and was never happy with the result. I've gone back to the old-fashoined hand kneading and hand rolling/cutting it. My hand-cranked pasta machine is a MARCATO, made in Italy. I've had it for about 20 years. It works everytime.
I hope this helps you somewhat. I've been a chef for most of my adult life, and pasta, like so many other things, is more of a technique, than just a collection of ingredients. It's more of an art than a science, which is why I do most of my bread and pasta stuff by hand. I've never seen a machine that could match the consistancy of a skilled culinary artist.
Good Luck and Bon Apetit!
Last edited on Thu Feb 22nd, 2007 07:41 am by Gigmaster
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lovemyhome
Member
| Joined: | Thu Oct 18th, 2007 |
| Location: | Southeast GA |
| Posts: | 25 |
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Offline
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Posted: Sat Jan 5th, 2008 10:30 pm |
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| I can verify that this works. This is exactly the way I did it. The only thing I would add, is to make sure you dust the pasta before putting it through each time. I could not figure out why mine was tearing, but then I realized that when you spread it out it gets moist and you need to redust it before sending it through again. After that, no problems at all.
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Gigmaster
Member
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Posted: Sun Jan 6th, 2008 02:59 am |
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I don't dust mine. I keep a thin film of olive oil on my rollers and cutters. This prevents sticking. But you can dust the dough if you'd rather.
Another trick is to keep the portions of dough you are not currently using wrapped in a sealed, airtight container until you get to them. The pasta dough will dry out very rapidy and not feed well, otherwise.
Bon Apetit!
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bizymom
Member
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Posted: Mon Jan 7th, 2008 02:53 pm |
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| I keep seeing pasta recipes using eggs. The spaghetti and other pasta at the store doesn't seem to contain eggs in the ingredients. Only things like "egg noodles". Is there a way to make homemade pasta without eggs?
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Gigmaster
Member
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Posted: Mon Jan 7th, 2008 05:10 pm |
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You can just omit the eggs and use water, or water and olive oil (and salt). I use the eggs because I like it that way. Just don't get the dough too wet.
Spaghetti does have eggs in it, traditionally. Egg Noddles have more egg in them, sometimes up to 4 eggs per batch.
Bon Apetit.
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