Perfecting Your Homemade Pasta Dough
Q: I’ve wanted to tackle fresh, homemade pasta for a while. I consider myself a great home cook and have all of the right tools. The pasta dough recipes I’ve found seem relatively simple, but I’m having trouble getting the consistency right. My dough is either too wet or too dry. Help?!
A: You’re not alone. The consistency of your pasta dough can make or break your dinner. Mastering pasta dough can be tricky at first, even for the most experienced cook, but with some practice and the right technique it can be quick and easy.
Pasta dough recipes require very few ingredients; the key is getting the wet and dry proportions right. Knowing when to incorporate the ingredients and how long to knead is also important. If you already have a KitchenAid Stand Mixer, you’re half way there.
We brought your question to our kitchen experts and they shared their tips for perfect pasta results. Be sure to try their No-Fail Pasta Dough recipe the next time you have a craving.
Tips from the KitchenAid kitchen:
- Add all liquids to the stand mixer bowl before incorporating flour.
- If adding vegetables, like spinach or beet, to your pasta dough, skip the water and add your veggies to the eggs, puree, and then add to the dry ingredients.
- Knead your dough, both in the mixer and by hand to finish. This will help develop a strong dough – and tasty pasta!
- Keep extra flour on hand. Dust each piece of dough before rolling.
- Once you have rolled the dough to the desired thickness, dust with flour again – this will keep your spaghetti or fettuccini from sticking together!
- When cooking pasta, heavily salt your water! The dough needs very salty water to absorb any flavour.
Perfecting Your Homemade Pasta Dough
5 large eggs 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour *plus extra for kneading by hand and while rolling pasta 1. Crack 5 large eggs into the stand mixer bowl, fitted with the whisk attachment. 2. Turn mixer to speed 4. Whisk until smooth. *this helps the egg incorporate evenly into the flour. 3. Remove whisk attachment and replace with the dough hook. 4. Add 1 cup of flour and turn mixer on to speed 2. 5. While the mixer is running, add the flour in ½ cup at a time. 6. Once all the flour is added and the dough has formed a ball on the dough hook, knead for 2 minutes. *if the dough is not all clinging to the dough hook and forming a ball, turn off the mixer and pull all the dough off the hook. Turn it back on and give it a chance to all come together. If not, you can do this with your hands in the last step, it really does not matter – have fun with it. 7. Remove dough from the mixer and place on a floured work surface. 8. Knead by hand for 2 more minutes. *the warmth and pressure from hands will help develops the glutens in the flour. The dough has been kneaded enough once it feels smooth. 9. Wrap the kneaded dough in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 15 minutes. Now that you’ve mastered how to bring the taste of fresh pasta into your home, try to go for variety with your noodles. Use the KitchenAid Ravioli Maker and fill pockets with whatever combination of ingredients you choose. Take on fusilli or bucatini with the Gourmet Pasta Press and roll lasagna or tortellini noodles to your desired thickness with the Pasta Roller & Cutter Set.
