5 Tips for Perfect Egg Pasta
I’m proud to announce that one of my longstanding goals has been achieved.
I finally perfected the art of pasta-making. That is, Northern-style egg-based pasta, anyway.
For over a year now, I’ve returned time and time again to my Atlas Marcato pasta maker in the hopes of creating silky noodles. I’ve served family and friends pasta with bolognese, cacio e pepe, and more, and while the dishes were delicious, my pasta always had room for improvement. This time, though, I nailed it (if I do say so myself).
As I’ve made batches both by hand and with a mixer, thrown out sticky messes, and eaten too-thick fettuccine or too-thin spaghetti, I believe I am now qualified to share some wisdom with you all.
First, I do not have my own “recipe” for the dough. I’ve followed the advice of Lidia Bastianich and Stanley Tucci, whose ingredients are similar. While Tucci’s can be found in his cookbook, Tucci Family Cookbook, Lidia’s MasterChef feature on traditional Italian egg pasta is linked here. I do recommend taking a page out of Tucci’s book and adding a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Lidia’s pasta method is 100% traditional in that she creates a volcano of flour and eggs and mixes them with a fork. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to master that approach, so I make pasta the modern way, with my Kitchen Aid mixer (using the hook attachment). Here’s my process:
Place roughly half the flour in the mixer along with eggs, olive oil, and salt. Mix on low for a few minutes, just until the dough comes together enough to avoid a runny mess. It should look bumpy and white with un-incorporated flour.
Place the semi-formed ball of dough on a floured pastry board, adding any loose crumbs, and knead. If you’re making more than two pounds, it helps to split the ball in half. Slowly add the remaining flour and knead each ball for about 8 minutes, or until smooth and dry. The dough should spring back into place when you press on it.
When the dough is ready, place it in a sealed container and rest at room temperature for 20 minutes before shaping.
Think you’re ready to give it a go? Here are a few things to keep in mind!
5 Tips for Perfectly Silky Pasta
Flour your hands.
In my opinion, there is nothing worse than dough sticking to you, and making pasta should be a simple, calm experience. No meltdowns allowed.
Do not attempt to make more than 2 pounds at a time.
This is equal to about 3 cups of flour. Since you want the flour to be well-incorporated, avoid using too much at once. Feel free to make multiple batches if you’re cooking for a crowd.
Slowly incorporate the flour.
Instead of adding all the flour at once, slowly blend it in the mixer and then gently knead the dough on a pastry board. If it isn’t added slowly, it may become too wet in spots or force you to overwork the dough.
Check for stickiness.
While kneading, periodically check the inside of the ball for sticky dough. If your finger sticks, you need more flour. Ultimately, the goal is smooth, dry dough that passes the spring-back test.
Let the dough rest.
This seems easy to skip, but I promise it’s a crucial step. Once your dough is soft and kneaded, put it in a Tupperware or Pyrex bowl with a lid for at least twenty minutes. Dough that has not sufficiently rested will be difficult to roll out and shape.