Pasta Fatta a Mano (Pasta Made By Hand)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on December 5, 2022
Time
15 minutes
Yield
Serves 4 to 6 (Makes about 1 pound)
Ingredients
Before You Begin
If using a high-protein all-purpose flour, such as King Arthur, increase the number of egg yolks to seven. Resting the dough for at least 30 minutes in Step 2 allows the gluten—the protein network that forms when flour and liquid interact and that makes doughs chewy—time to relax so the dough won’t contract after rolling out. You can use a manual pasta maker to roll out and cut the strands. Find the instructions here.
Instructions
- Place flour in large bowl. Using fork, mix eggs, yolks, and oil together in separate bowl, then stir them into flour. Using your hands, knead dough in bowl until mixture forms cohesive dough that feels soft and is barely tacky to touch, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer dough to clean surface and knead by hand to form smooth, uniform ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Shape dough into 6-inch-long cylinder. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Divide dough into 6 pieces; cover with plastic wrap. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time and keeping remaining pieces covered, dust both sides with flour, then press cut side down into 3-inch square. With rolling pin, roll it into 6-inch square, then dust both sides again with flour. Roll dough to 12 by 6 inches, rolling from center of dough 1 way at a time, then dust with flour. Continue rolling dough to 20 by 6 inches, lifting it frequently to release it from work surface. Transfer dough sheet to clean dish towel(s) and air-dry for about 15 minutes.
- Cut 1 sheet in half crosswise. Starting with short ends, gently fold each smaller sheet at 2-inch intervals to create flat, rectangular rolls.With sharp knife, slice pasta rolls crosswise to desired width. Use your fingers to unfurl pasta, then liberally dust strands with flour and transfer them to lightly floured rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets. Cook noodles within 1 hour or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add salt and pasta and cook until tender but still al dente, about 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta.
- To freeze strands for one month: Toss strands with a bit more flour to keep pieces separate. Coil strands into 2- to 4-ounce nests on baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer pasta to zipper-lock bags and freeze for up to 1 month. Cook frozen pasta straight from freezer as directed in step 5.
Time
15 minutesYield
Serves 4 to 6 (Makes about 1 pound)Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Pasta fatta a mano is one of the oldest and simplest forms of handmade food and arguably one of the most gratifying. For an exceptionally workable pasta dough that could be easily rolled out by hand (but still cook up into delicate, springy noodles), we added six extra egg yolks and a couple tablespoons of olive oil. In addition, we incorporated an extended resting period to allow the gluten network to relax.
Before You Begin
If using a high-protein all-purpose flour, such as King Arthur, increase the number of egg yolks to seven. Resting the dough for at least 30 minutes in Step 2 allows the gluten—the protein network that forms when flour and liquid interact and that makes doughs chewy—time to relax so the dough won’t contract after rolling out. You can use a manual pasta maker to roll out and cut the strands. Find the instructions here.
Instructions
- Place flour in large bowl. Using fork, mix eggs, yolks, and oil together in separate bowl, then stir them into flour. Using your hands, knead dough in bowl until mixture forms cohesive dough that feels soft and is barely tacky to touch, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer dough to clean surface and knead by hand to form smooth, uniform ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Shape dough into 6-inch-long cylinder. Wrap with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
- Divide dough into 6 pieces; cover with plastic wrap. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time and keeping remaining pieces covered, dust both sides with flour, then press cut side down into 3-inch square. With rolling pin, roll it into 6-inch square, then dust both sides again with flour. Roll dough to 12 by 6 inches, rolling from center of dough 1 way at a time, then dust with flour. Continue rolling dough to 20 by 6 inches, lifting it frequently to release it from work surface. Transfer dough sheet to clean dish towel(s) and air-dry for about 15 minutes.
- Cut 1 sheet in half crosswise. Starting with short ends, gently fold each smaller sheet at 2-inch intervals to create flat, rectangular rolls.With sharp knife, slice pasta rolls crosswise to desired width. Use your fingers to unfurl pasta, then liberally dust strands with flour and transfer them to lightly floured rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets. Cook noodles within 1 hour or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add salt and pasta and cook until tender but still al dente, about 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water and drain pasta.
- To freeze strands for one month: Toss strands with a bit more flour to keep pieces separate. Coil strands into 2- to 4-ounce nests on baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, transfer pasta to zipper-lock bags and freeze for up to 1 month. Cook frozen pasta straight from freezer as directed in step 5.
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