By Fraya Berg for Meals Community Kitchen

Fraya is a chef and a contributing author at Meals Community.

Making pasta by hand is as satisfying as playing around with Play-Doh. It’s an pleasant group dinner exercise, too. Right here, we stroll you thru each single pasta making step, from making the dough to cooking it. Plus, a roundup of our favourite contemporary pasta recipes on Meals Community.

The reply to this query relies upon largely on which kind of pasta you’re making.

All-purpose flour is a very viable choice for pasta making. So too is bread flour. You’ll merely have to combine in egg so as to add protein to the combination (for pasta to maintain a form and have an al dente texture when cooked, the dough should comprise starch and protein). Moreover, you’ll have to knead the dough just a little longer to activate the gluten and obtain clean, elastic outcomes.

00 flour is constructed from durum wheat that’s finely floor right into a powder. It has much less protein than semolina flour and makes for a mushy dough that’s ultimate for recipes like tagliatelle, ravioli, and linguine. When you can’t discover it in your grocery store you may sub in mushy wheat flour.

Semolina flour is milled from durum wheat as nicely. It’s coarser and better in protein than 00 flour, making it much less elastic. It’s finest for pastas that want to take care of their grooves and ridges when cooking, similar to rigatoni or penne.

Pasta flour blends are additionally out there. For instance, King Arthur Baking Firm sells one that mixes durum flour, semolina flour and all-purpose flour. The sort of mix can be utilized to make any pasta.

Right here, we stroll you thru methods to make pasta with all-purpose flour.

First, mound the flour and salt within the heart of your slicing board or bowl. Make a nicely within the center and beat your eggs and add them to the nicely. In case your recipe requires olive oil within the dough, add it now. Use a fork to carry the dry components into the moist, beginning with the interior rim of the nicely. Hold bringing extra flour into the egg combine within the center till all of the egg is totally absorbed.

The dough will type a shaggy mass. Utilizing your arms, pull the dough collectively, mixing the sticky items with the dry. If the dough could be very sticky, add just a little flour at a time till it’s kneadable. If it’s dry, collect the wettest elements and go away the driest bits off to the aspect. Kind a ball and begin kneading it with the heels of your arms. Use flour sparingly or the pasta can be powerful.

As soon as the floor of the dough is barely clean and nonetheless just a little cheesy, type a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let it relaxation at room temperature or within the fridge for 30 to 45 minutes. Whereas the dough rests, the starch within the flour will take in water from the egg and the gluten will calm down a bit.

Whereas the dough rests, prepared the remainder of your workstation. When you’re utilizing a hand-crank pasta machine, make certain it’s securely clamped to the counter. You probably have an electrical pasta curler, test to make certain you don’t have lengthy sleeves or hair that would get pulled into the machine. Set the pasta curler to the widest place.

You’ll want a spot to place your pasta as soon as it’s rolled. For minimize pasta like pappardelle or fettuccini, sprinkle sheet trays with both cornmeal or rice flour to maintain the pasta from sticking collectively after it’s minimize and earlier than it goes within the pasta pot. Cornmeal and rice flour might stick with the pasta a bit, however whenever you drop the minimize pasta into the simmering water, each grains will fall off the noodles and sink to the underside of the pot, their job is finished.

A number of passes by way of widest setting of the pasta maker is a quick and simple strategy to knead your dough a second time.

Divide the dough into slices. Work with one part at a time and canopy the remainder. Coax the dough by way of as you flip the crank on the widest setting. As soon as the dough has gone by way of the machine, fold it in thirds such as you’d fold a letter going into an envelope. Roll the dough by way of the machine on the wideset setting once more, with the folded edges pointing to the perimeters of the rollers relatively than simple (in any other case you’ll get an air bubble that can pop and make a gap within the dough). If the dough comes by way of the machine shaggy, with massive dimples and a few holes, which means it’s too moist. Dip the dough in flour and fold it in thirds once more. Proceed to roll and fold in thirds till the dough is silky clean, dipping in flour with every move in case you proceed to see shaggy holes.

Now that the dough is absolutely kneaded, you’ll have to run it again by way of the pasta machine just a few extra occasions. Every time you roll the dough by way of the machine, you’ll be transferring the rollers nearer collectively till you get the thinness you want (your recipe ought to specify).

At this level, the rolled out items of dough are good for lasagna or any hand-cut pasta like pappardelle. Reduce the pasta as quickly because it’s rolled and place it on the trays prepped with cornmeal or rice flour. For ravioli, it’s essential you’re employed rapidly so the pasta sticks to itself when it’s crammed and crimped. Cook dinner the pasta that day or freeze it by sprinkling extra cornmeal or rice flour on it and placing it in zip-top luggage.

Contemporary pasta cooks a lot sooner than dry pasta, and due to this fact, you’ll wish to use a pasta pot with a strainer insert (known as a pentola) when you’ve got one. A pentola will will let you carry the pasta out of the boiling water rapidly, leaving all of the cornmeal or rice flour behind on the backside of the pot.

Creamy pumpkin and flour come collectively in a meals processor to make Pumpkin Pasta. Sage Butter is the peerlessly easy sauce to serve with it.

Billows of contemporary pasta don’t should be completed with a lot, simply butter and freshly grated Parmesan.

This dough comes collectively in a meals processor. You’ll fill the pasta sheets with a combination of ricotta, gruyere, leeks and bacon, then minimize ravioli with a pizza wheel (sensible).

Right here, a contemporary pasta recipe that instructs you on methods to roll out semolina durum flour-based roll with a rolling pin, no pasta maker required.

After you make the ravioli, you bread and fry them. Why are fried ravioli known as toasted ravioli? You’ll need to ask somebody from St. Louis. Both approach, they’re addictive.

Six cups of child spinach give this selfmade pasta its brilliant inexperienced colour and refreshing herby taste. When feeding your handmade dough by way of your pasta maker, ensure that it’s skinny however not clear.

These beloved bowtie pastas are simpler to make than you may initially suppose. When forming their signature form, it is important to proceed dusting your pasta items with flour in the event that they flip sticky.

This selfmade pappardelle makes the right base for quite a lot of scrumptious sauces like creamy mushroom, saffron cream, ragu and traditional bolognese.

A mouthwatering combination of ricotta, Parmesan and Pecorino cheeses makes up the filling for these envelope-shaped stuffed pastas.