Hand Rolled Pasta
This recipe from Americas Test Kitchen is easily usable. For a pasta dough easily rolled out by hand, we added six extra egg yolks and olive oil. An extended resting period allows the gluten network to relax, and a simple rolling technique is developed.
This recipe from Americas Test Kitchen is easily usable. For a pasta dough easily rolled out by hand, we added six extra egg yolks and olive oil. An extended resting period allows the gluten network to relax, and a simple rolling technique is developed.
- Carbohydrate 37.1312941972514 g
- Cholesterol 2030.74 mg
- Fat 49.2836445242647 g
- Fiber 1.11832677027557 g
- Protein 36.3315686418242 g
- Saturated Fat 16.257420239382 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (267g)
- Sodium 764.235057782433 mg
- Sugar 36.0129674269758 g
- Trans Fat 3.06956007182248 g
- Calories 741 calories
Step-by-step
- Process flour, eggs and yolks, and oil in food processor until mixture forms cohesive dough that feels soft and is barely tacky to touch, about 45 seconds. (If dough sticks to fingers, add up to 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until barely tacky. If dough doesn’t become cohesive, add up to 1 tablespoon water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it just comes together; process 30 seconds longer.)
- Turn dough ball onto dry surface and knead until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Shape dough into 6-inch-long cylinder. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to rest for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
- Cut cylinder crosswise into 6 equal pieces. Working with 1 piece of dough (rewrap remaining dough), dust both sides with flour, place cut side down on clean work surface, and press into 3-inch square. Using heavy rolling pin, roll into 6-inch square. Dust both sides of dough lightly with flour. Starting at center of square, roll dough away from you in 1 motion. Return rolling pin to center of dough and roll toward you in 1 motion. Repeat steps of rolling until dough sticks to counter and measures roughly 12 inches long. Lightly dust both sides of dough with flour and continue rolling dough until it measures roughly 20 inches long and 6 inches wide, frequently lifting dough to release it from counter. (You should be able to easily see outline of your fingers through dough.) If dough firmly sticks to counter and wrinkles when rolled out, dust dough lightly with flour.
- Transfer pasta sheet to kitchen towel and let stand, uncovered, until firm around edges, about 15 minutes; meanwhile, roll out remaining dough. Starting with 1 short end, gently fold pasta sheet at 2-inch intervals until sheet has been folded into flat, rectangular roll. With sharp chef’s knife, slice crosswise into 3/16-inch-thick noodles. Use fingers to unfurl pasta and transfer to baking sheet. Repeat folding and cutting remaining sheets of dough. Cook noodles within 1 hour.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add salt and pasta and cook until tender but still al dente, about 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water. Drain pasta and toss with sauce; serve immediately.
Standard pasta dough often fights back on the board because flour and whole eggs alone forge a fiercely elastic gluten network that resists rolling pins. Achieving a gossamer-thin sheet without a mechanical crank requires altering the fundamental chemistry of the dough by introducing high amounts of fat. Incorporating six extra egg yolks alongside two whole eggs and two tablespoons of olive oil coats the flour proteins, effectively shortening gluten strands so the dough yields willingly to downward pressure instead of aggressively snapping back into a tight rubbery ball.
Allowing the formed dough cylinder to rest undisturbed at room temperature for at least one hour enables the remaining gluten matrix to fully relax and hydrate. When rolling the divided dough into a final twenty-inch sheet, frequent lifting from the work surface prevents sticking while visual cues dictate thickness—specifically, the clear outline of your fingers visible beneath the translucent pasta. If the sheets begin cracking during the subsequent two-inch folding phase, a light mist of water restores pliability.
For longer storage windows, transfer the cut strands directly on a baking sheet to the freezer until solid, then pack them into a zipper-lock bag for up to two weeks. Cooking frozen noodles requires no thawing; plunge them straight into four quarts of actively boiling water for roughly three minutes until al dente.
