Tips and Tricks

This was one of the first things I read when researching the pasta-making process and ironically, the one that probably took me the longest to listen to. When mixing your dough, whether by hand or in a mixer, it will most likely get to a point where it seems dry and sandy and you'll be tempted to add more water. However, if you keep mixing it, you'll probably find that there is plenty of moisture in the dough. If, after mixing for a while, the dough is still dry, then it would be appropriate to add more water or oil in small amounts. It's always beneficial to remember that you can always add more but you can't take any away.  

Everyone knows to salt the pasta water but when making homemade pasta I find it better to salt the dough. It allows a better flavor control than just salting the water. To add the salt, mix it with the flour prior to adding eggs or oil. This helps the salt be evenly spread throughout the dough. 

In order to properly develop the gluten in pasta dough, it must be kneaded for at least 7 minutes. 7 minutes of pushing and stretching dough is actually a very long time. I found that when I didn't set a timer for myself, I usually called it a day after about 2 or 3 minutes of kneading. This can be detrimental because the dough won't be able to hold its shape when it comes time to cook. Make sure to set a timer on your phone so you knead for the full 7 minutes. 

While your pasta rests, make sure to cover it so it doesn't dry out. I like to use saran wrap when the dough is resting for longer than 10 minutes. The part that many people forget (i.e. me) is when you are rolling the dough out. The dough that isn't being used needs to be covered otherwise the surface will start to crust over. Another thing that can help prevent drying is putting some extra olive oil on the dough.

By far the hardest thing for me to do was to roll the dough by hand thin enough. My first batch of pasta came out looking like a bunch of cheese sticks (you can see the photo on the wall of fame). I quickly learned with each batch of pasta I made that the dough needed to be a LOT thinner than I initially expected. My uncle, who is a chef, said that the dough should be so thin that I can see my hand through it. Other pasta chefs say that you should be able to read a newspaper through your dough. Any pasta that you roll out should be, at most, 1/8 inch thick.

Whether you cut your pasta into tortellini, farfalle, or any other pasta shape, make sure to flour your dough so they don't stick together. I once made a batch of strichetti and put my pieces on the table. The dough was so heavy everything settled and stuck together in a huge ball of dough, it was devastating. The picture above is of some fettuccini that I left and it all clumped together. Flouring the surface of your dough before you cut it could be the difference between beautifully crafted pasta and a lump of mush.