[jbbran]

Hi all, I was just wondering how many eggs to use for a cup of flour? So far I've tried this: 

1 cup flour + 2 eggs (Marcella Hazan's recipe) - Far too wet and gunked up my pasta machine thoroughly -and tried-

1 cup flour + 1 egg (seen on Yahoo answers) - Too dry and fell off in chunks when I put it through the widest setting

So, are you supposed to use water in there somewhere because I don't know how to separate/measure off half an egg....If so, how much and with how many eggs per cup flour? Maybe I need more/less flour?

Thanks!

Messy in the Kitchen

 

[tiemu]

I use weight measurements rather than cups- cups are frustratingly unreliable.

The ratio I use is 100 grams flour with 1 egg. Eggs themselves vary in size and flour varies too, but any adjustments require just a few dabs of flour or drops of water. This makes two starter portions of pasta, the way pasta's supposed to be eaten (followed by a meat with vegetable dish, followed by a salad). 200 grams with 2 eggs makes 3 large servings of pasta or 4 starter servings.

When rolling the pasta in a machine, sprinkle a little flour each time to stop it getting craggy or sticking to itself. If it's too dry just add a few drops of water at a time.

I use a Marcaro Atlas 150 and the recommended thickness for the standard fettuccine attachment is dial 6.

 

[oregonyeti]

I have made a lot of pasta from scratch using white flour and using semolina flour. With either flour, the liquid added (eggs in your case are the liquid) need to be added until you get a thick dough. I think proportions in the recipe should be only a recommendation since flour varies, and eggs vary in size, and the only reliable method is to add liquid until the dough is stiff but not dry, and if you've added too much liquid add more flour.

I also use an Atlas.

 

[jbbran]

Thanks so much for the replies, I'll give it another shot /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

 

[cerise]

I use about 2 cups all-purpose flour and 2 large whole eggs. Place the flour on a worktop and make a hole/well in the center, and put the eggs in. Beat the eggs with a fork and gently mix in the flour from the sides. Mix until the dough becomes uniform. Sprinkle flour on the worktop and start kneading the pasta. If the pasta is too dry or crumbly, spray with a little lukewarm water. When the required texture has been obtained, form a ball and leave to rest in a bowl for a short while. Cover the dough to prevent it from drying.

 

[panini]

@jbbran , Your first couple of tries are the most important in knowing the dough. Really focus on each round. Touch everything in the dough continuously. Touch the ingredients before use for texture and temp. When mixing, when resting (probably the most important time because you will feel the change in the dough as the gluten forms.

Remember the feel. When the dough reacts perfect for your needs (rolling by hand, machine, etc.) lock it away. Some people use objects to remember the feel, I've always used body muscles. You'd be shocked on how many different feels there are to your muscle. Chefs have used hand muscles to recall the feel of many things. Doneness of meats, etc.

This will help in accommodating different ingredients. And if you have to tweak.

BTW, There is no problem with following recipes. Probably shouldn't attempt without. You may have to tweak a little. Not all ingredients are the same in different locations. If you need to scale an egg and don't go by weight, just scramble it a little and add half.

Have fun, when it's perfect, it's like getting a hug from a close friend./img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

 

[tiemu]

I still think that weighing is the best and easiest way to make any dough. It takes the guesswork out and only the smallest of adjustments are necessary if at all.

I use plain flour because it's much cheaper than 00 flour but I'll pay for 00 flour some day.

You can also use your pasta machine to make Japanese ramen and soft instant noodles. I actually make these more often than pasta these days.