1. Equipment
You only need a worktop, a rolling pin, a sharp knife and lots of elbowgrease. A food processor and a pasta roller will make life easier, particularly if you’re making thin sheets for ravioli and other filled pasta.
2. Flour
Look for Italian ‘00’ (doppio zero) flour. The numberindicates that the flour has been finely milled, but brandsvary. Choose one specifically milled for pasta and check theprotein content: it should be 10-12 per cent. When the flour iskneaded with moisture (from the eggs), the protein formsstrands of gluten that give the pasta its structure and strength.
3. Eggs
As well as providing water for the gluten, eggs also givefat, which enriches the dough, giving it a smooth, silky finish.Most medium eggs weigh 55-65g and, as a rule, the whites are90 per cent water and 10 per cent protein, while the yolksare 48 per cent water, 17 per cent protein, 33 per cent fat andtwo per cent carbohydrate.
4. The perfect ratio
The ratio of white and yolk in your pasta will give differentresults. The more egg white, the more pliable the dough; themore yolk, the richer the pasta will be. There are endlessvariations, but for a dough that works every time use:1 whole egg plus 2 yolks for every 150g of flour. Don’t addsalt: let the salted cooking water and sauce do the seasoning.
5. Mixing and kneading
Put the flour, egg and yolks in a food processor and mix usinga blade attachment until a rough dough forms. Tip out ontoa work surface and knead by hand for about five minutes.The finished dough should be smooth and regular with thetexture of modelling clay – not too wet and not too dry. If indoubt, err on the stickyside – you can always dust thedough with flour, but you can’t add extra water.
6. Resting the dough
Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 4 hours before rolling.During this time the water will be absorbed by the flour andthe gluten strands will relax, giving a strong, pliable,roll-able dough. The higher the yolk content, the more it needsto rest. Pasta made only with yolks needs to rest for 6 hours.
7. Rolling the dough
Flour the worktop and roll the pasta out as thin as you likeusing a rolling pin. Or, if you have a pasta machine, flour therollers, then feed a piece of dough through the widest setting– let it come through naturally, don’t pull it. Fold the pasta inhalf, then feed it through again. Do this 2-3 times. Reduce thewidth setting and pass the pasta through twice (no need tofold), reduce the setting again and pass it through twice, thenset the width setting to the thinnest and pass it through once.It’s now ready to be cut and filled or shaped. Dust the pastashapes lightly with flour to stop them sticking together.
See our video here for how to rollpasta in a pasta machine.
John is the author of several cookery manuals and has appeared onBBC’s Saturday Kitchen and MasterChef. Find out more about John, and his restaurant, The Woodspeen.
