Pasta Dough (Ribbon)

Recipe Date: October 24, 2024
Difficulty: Medium
Measurements: Imperial (US)

Wheat flour adds a beautiful nutty earth note to pasta. It also adds texture. Ratio of wheat flour can be adjusted to suit your taste and the texture you desire. Yield: 1 pound

Ingredients

  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ cup whole wheat flour such as red fife
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon cold water
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil for tossing

Directions

1. Mix the flours and salt together in a large bowl.

2. Whisk the eggs, water and olive oil together.

3. Make a well in the flour and add the egg mixture.  Mix until combined.

4. If the dough is too dry, add a few drops of water a little at a time. If it is too wet add a little bit of flour.

5. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.  Cut it into three pieces and let them rest, well wrapped with plastic, for at least 45 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator.

6. If the dough has been refrigerated, bring it to room temperature before rolling. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin so that it will pass through the pasta machine. Alternatively, the dough may be rolled by hand as thinly as possible and then cut into shapes.

7. Pass each piece three times through pasta machine before rolling to the third thinnest setting. Dust the sheets of pasta lightly with flour to keep them from sticking. Roll the sheets up and cut into desired width with a sharp knife or use cutter attachment. Cook 3 to 4 minutes in boiling salted water.

Cutting Fresh Ribbon Pasta

Fresh pasta dough is easily cut into varying thicknesses with either a machine cutter or by hand. The following ribbon pastas are listed from the thinnest to thickest width. If your pasta machine doesn’t have cutters for all widths, cut your pasta sheets into 12-inch lengths, dust them with flour, and roll tightly. Use a knife to cut to the desired width and then unroll the pasta, shake and dust it with flour, and lay it on a tray. Pasta can be cooked immediately or allowed to air dry, uncovered for up to 2 hours. Dry pasta will be more delicate, so take care when sliding it into the pot. Spaghetti cut by a machine or hand will not be round but slightly square in shape.

As a rule of thumb, thinner pastas are more suited to light and delicate sauces while thicker pastas can stand up to rich sauces, chunky with meat and vegetables.

Spaghetti – 1/16 inch-thick

Linguine – 1/8 inch-thick

Tagliatelle – 3/16 inch- thick 

Fettuccine – 1/4 inch-thick

Pappardelle – 1 inch thick

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