By ShowMeStepByStepPublished Updated
Based on a video by Epicurious.
Fresh pasta takes about 30 minutes of active work and the difference from box pasta is obvious the first time you try it. The dough is just flour, eggs, and salt. The technique is what makes it work.
Chef Frank Proto from Epicurious walks through the classic Italian method - building a flour well, incorporating the eggs by hand, kneading until elastic, and rolling it thin through a pasta machine. He makes both egg-based pappardelle and water-based cavatelli to show the range of what you can do with homemade dough. The same hands-on technique transfers to our homemade pizza dough recipe — flour, water, knead, rest. A sharp knife makes cutting your noodles cleaner once they're rolled.
Mound two cups of 00 flour (or all-purpose) on your work surface and push a large well in the center. Crack two eggs into the well with a pinch of salt. Scramble the eggs with a fork, then start pulling flour in from the edges a little at a time.
One egg per person, one cup of flour per egg. Keep incorporating flour until the dough comes together into a shaggy ball. It does not need to be smooth yet.
Push the dough away from you with your body weight, fold it in half, give it a quarter turn, and repeat. Keep going for about 8-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springs back when you poke it.
If it stays flat when pressed, either add more flour or keep kneading. The gluten is what gives fresh pasta its chewy bite. Under-kneaded dough makes limp, mushy pasta.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap so it does not dry out. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes at room temperature. This lets the gluten relax.
If you try to roll it out immediately, the dough will spring back and fight you. After resting, it will hold its shape when rolled flat.
Tip
If you do not have plastic wrap, cover the dough with an upside-down bowl or a clean towel. The goal is to prevent a dry skin from forming on the surface.
Cut off about a third of the dough and keep the rest covered. Flatten it slightly and dust with flour. Start at the thickest setting (usually 1) and feed it through the rollers. Fold it in half, dust again, and run it through on 1 one more time.
Then go up one number at a time - 2, 3, 4, and so on - making the sheet thinner each pass. For pappardelle, stop around setting 7. Use the backs of your hands to guide the sheet as it gets long so your fingers do not poke through.
Dust the pasta sheet generously with flour on both sides so it does not stick to itself. Roll it up loosely and cut across into strips with a sharp knife. For pappardelle, cut about an inch wide. For fettuccine, cut thinner.
Unroll the strips and lay them flat on a floured tray. Try not to stack them or they will stick together. You can also toss them into loose nests dusted with flour.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the pasta in and stir immediately so it does not stick. Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried - about 2-3 minutes for thin noodles.
Taste a piece. It should be cooked through with a slight chew, not doughy or gummy. Pull it out with tongs or a spider and drop it directly into your hot sauce. Add a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce and finish cooking in the pan.
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5 questions, answers, and one-line explanations. Tap to expand.
1.What three ingredients make the dough?
Answer: Flour, eggs, salt
Just flour, eggs, and salt. The technique is what makes it work.
2.Why rest the dough for 20 to 30 minutes after kneading?
Answer: Lets the gluten relax
Resting lets the gluten relax. If you roll it out immediately, the dough springs back and fights you.
3.What flour does Chef Frank reach for first?
Answer: 00 flour
Two cups of 00 flour (or all-purpose if 00 isn't available). 00 is finely milled and gives the smoothest texture.
4.When feeding through the pasta machine, where do you start?
Answer: Setting 1 (thickest)
Always start at the thickest setting and step down. Fold and feed again at setting 1 to align the dough before thinning.
5.How long does fresh pasta cook compared to dried?
Answer: Roughly 2 to 3 minutes
2 to 3 minutes for thin noodles. Fresh pasta has egg already in the dough and is much thinner than dried.
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