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Help! Pasta Doughs!

post #1 of 5
11/8/09 at 11:08am
Thread Starter 
Hello All,

I know there must be a billion variations of the classic pasta dough and i think ive tried them all. The results are edible and most likely the quality you may find in the majority of kitchens. However im looking for something more. My complaint is a little to much density to the noodle. Im refering to tagliatelle.

currently im using yolks alone, a splash of oil, whole milk and salt
the amount of yolks will dictate the amount of flour, im eyeballing it bc the 200 - 215 grams of flour per two yolks rule was just too tough.
i let the dough rest for 20-30 min in a chilled environment
i knead and roll the dough by hand as im sure this was how it had to be done 100's of years ago right? (about this time i can already feel the resistance of the dough to my dismay)
then i fold the dough "s" meathod
cut the noodles
let them hang for about 10 minutes
and cook for about 20-30 seconds


could it be me eyeballing the dough from the start?
the lack of 00 flour?
the chilling of the dough while resting?
should i even let it rest?
should i hang them or just immediatly go to boil?
anything else?

thank you in advance for any help you can provide.

VIVA KNIVES AND FIRE!
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post #2 of 5
11/8/09 at 11:25am
Try a refrigerated rest, and rolling out with a "pasta machine" instead of a pin.

You can rest the dough in a "cool" place instead of a refrigerator, but the fridge is so much faster. In either case the rest is necessary to relax the glutens, which when they get too stretched make the pasta tough.

A pin is doable, but not nearly as good as a machine, which not only rolls more consistently but adds the equivalent of a little bit of extra knead as it thins the dough by successive iterations.

Hope this helps,
BDL
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post #3 of 5
11/8/09 at 11:30am
I've had pretty good luck with the recipe that comes with the KitchenAid pasta roller attachment. Unfortunately I can't find the booklet right now so I can't give the exact proportions. :mad: But I do remember this much: I use the version in all the languages EXCEPT English, which iirc call for only flour (500g), egg yolks (#?), about a tablespoon of oil, and a little salt. NO liquid (that's only in the English version). If my flour is really, really dry, I'll add a little more oil, but never water. It may be that the extra liquid (milk) you're adding is contributing to gluten development, and therefore toughness.

In culinary school, we used half all-purpose flour and half semolina flour, and that's what I do now. I have no problems with that.

And I use a (gasp! :eek:) electric pasta roller/cutter. It's faster, so the dough doesn't have as much time to dry out, and it brings it to an even thickness, as well as cutting it evenly. I believe that if they'd had those hundreds of years ago, they'd have used them. :lol:
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post #4 of 5
11/8/09 at 11:41am
I overlooked the presence of milk in the recipe. Suzanne is right, ixnay the ilkmay.

BDL
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post #5 of 5
11/8/09 at 12:24pm
Thread Starter 
Thank You Both!
i had no idea about the dairy/ gluten development relationship so now i have something to learn about, and the over working of the dough "au natural" is an excellent point. youre right, if they had pasta rollers, they would have used em'

Ill give it a shot, if it doesnt work, expect this post pooping up again next week! haha
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