Basic Fresh Egg Pasta Dough
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Egg pasta dough is a staple in northern Italy. It has a great elasticity that works perfectly for numerous smooth shapes including ravioli, tortellini, spaghetti, and tagliatelli. This is an essential “mother dough” recipe that is thankfully quite easy to remember: use 1 egg for every 100g of flour. Therefore, you can scale the recipe up or down depending on how many people you need to feed. The recommended flour in this recipe is Tipo 00 (also known as “doppio zero”), an Italian flour made from a blend of hard and soft wheat and milled very finely, which results in a silky texture. 00 flour is higher in protein than all-purpose flour, which makes it the gold standard for pasta and pizza dough. However, if you cannot come by 00 flour, all-purpose flour will absolutely work as a substitution. The end result will just be a slightly chewier texture.
Where to buy 00 flour: 00 flour is a useful pantry staple, so we recommend trying to get your hands on it. If you do not have a local Italian market, try checking the baking aisle of your local big box store or supermarket. If you still do not have luck, there are many online retailers that will ship it to your door.
Ingredients: (Yield: ~4 servings)
400g 00 flour or all-purpose flour
4 whole eggs
Method:
On a large, clean work surface, form the flour into a mound. In the middle of the mound, use your fingertips or the bottom side of a bowl to carve out a well, leaving just a little bit of flour on the bottom, so it looks like a crater. Add the eggs to the center of the well. Using a fork or your hand, begin whisking the eggs and mixing from the center, slowly incorporating small amounts of flour from the sides of the well, making sure to not break the outer walls! Once the eggs and flour have mostly incorporated into gooey paste, continue working in all the flour until it becomes a solid ball.
This is where the hard work begins! Put on some of your favorite music and begin kneading. If any bits of dough break off, knead them back into the dough ball. Do not panic if the dough feels dry at first. With continued kneading, the ingredients spread through and hydrate your dough. You will notice how the texture changes with continued work. This is the point where an optional stand mixer with a dough hook can be utilized - let run on a low setting for about 10 minutes.
If you’re working by hand, keep going! Knead vigorously for around 10 minutes until the dough is completely smooth and homogenous. As you are working, if the dough feels dry, add a couple drops of water. As you are working, if the dough feels wet, add a slight sprinkle of flour. You cannot over-knead the dough, so don’t be afraid to keep working. You can, however, under-knead it, which will affect the overall quality and texture of your pasta.
After 10 minutes, once the dough is silky smooth, if you press your fingertip into the dough, the fingerprint should quickly rise back up. At this point, wrap in plastic and let rest for at least 30 minutes. After the rest time, your dough will be ready to roll out and mold into the desired shape.
To Cook:
Generously salt a pot of water once it reaches a rolling boil. Add your pasta and let boil for 2-4 minutes until al dente. Strain and serve with your favorite sauce. Buon appetito!