Basic Guide to Pasta Making
After the holidays I received some messages saying that some of my followers were gifted a pasta machine or made pasta for the first time. It made me so excited that people were interested in trying it. It has become a sort of a meditative practice for me. There is something about the repetitive process and focusing in on the task that I really enjoy.
That being said, I wanted to create a basic guide of some of the tools I use, my pasta dough recipe, and the books and sources I look to for different inspiration.
TOOLS
I have had this pasta maker for a few years. It is substantial, well made, and easy to use.
A kitchen scale is a great to thing to have, especially when weighing flour. Once you get one you will never go back to measuring cups.
PASTA FLOUR
Central Milling makes great quality flours and I love this one for pasta.
DOUGH SCRAPER
I like to use this when I am incorporating flour into the eggs. I also use to cut the dough before putting through the machine.
Pasta Board
This is for gnocchi or garganelli, one of my favorite shapes to make.
Basic Pasta Dough Recipe
280g 00 flour
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
DIRECTIONS
Place the flour in the center of a clean board. Make a well in the middle and add the eggs and yolks into it.
Using a fork, whisk the eggs and start to incorporate the flour into the mixture. It will start to form a shaggy mess.
Start to knead the dough using your hand to push the dough away from you. Knead for about 8 minutes until dough is smooth.
Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
Cookbooks
SOURCES
How to Make Pasta by Samin Nostrat
Perfect Pasta Dough by Gennaro Contaldo
How to Make Garganelli with Vodka Sauce by Mateo Zielonka
