DOUGH PREPARATION STEP BY STEP
HAND MADE PASTA CAN BE PREPARED WITH EGGS OR WITHOUT EGGS.
Pasta with common white wheat and eggs is traditional in the North of Italy, especially in Bologna, while in the South Durum wheat is used and eggs may be replaced by water. Here you have something about types of flour.
Exemple of pasta with Durum flour and water are orecchiette, cavatelli, maloreddus and trofie
OUR CLASSIC RECIPE FOR HAND MADE EGGS PASTA
We weigh the eggs and then sift a quantity of flour equal to the total weight of the eggs increased by 25g for each egg. For example, if we want to prepare fettuccini for six person we use four eggs, supposing that the total weight of the four eggs is 240g (Medium size) we must use 240g (equivalent to the weight of the eggs) plus additional 25×4=100g for a total of 340g of flour.
In our recipe the flour will be a mix of 2/3 of 00 flour (see table for equivalence) and 1/3 of semola of Durum. You may use also the 00 flour only to get very thin fettuccini or increase the quantity of semola to get fettuccini with a strong body, in this case to make the dough will require more work.
HOW TO PREPARE THE DOUGH
Heap the sifted flour on the centre of a wooden pastry board (80cm x 50cm minimum), make a crater (Fig. 1), open the egg and put it in the well or crater of the heaped flour (Fig. 2).
Start to incorporate the flour eroding the internal slope of the crater (Fig. 3). When almost all the flour has been incorporated and the mix has a creamy consistence (Fig. 4) push all the flour toward the centre and continue to mix .
Scrap the board with the side of the fork to detach any part of the dough from the board, clean the fork to detach any part of the dough that sticks on the prongs (Fig. 5) and then start to roll the dough with the fingers (Fig. 6). Continue to roll it for ten minutes.
The process of mixing and rolling will develop some heat, this will help the flour to be hydrated. To make the mixing on a marble top is not advisable because the heat generated will be lost.
After ten minutes you may cut the dough with a sharp knife (Fig. 7) and smell it. You will recognize the typical smell of cookies or of scrambled eggs that has been developed by the gentle heat.
Wrap the dough with a plastic film or a clean towel slightly damped and leave it to rest for 30 minutes. (Fig. 8). Some bonds will be formed by the interaction of the lecithin contained in the yolk and the starch and gluten of the flour.
If you try to estend the dough after the ten minuts kneading and then you repeat after thirty minuts you will notice a big difference (Fig. 9 and 10).
