I’ve made some pasta in the past, but not in any way that led to brilliant results.
I didn’t make it by hand. I chucked it in the mixer. I just went with a basic recipe of 1 egg for every 100g of 00 flour. No pasta shapes either. I just made lasagne sheets or spaghetti.
The results were edible, but not brilliant.
The pasta would break when I put it through the roller. I suspect it’s because I didn’t knead it properly. The spaghetti would clump together when rolled, and the flour, when boiled, would go a little … claggy. The lasagne sheets came out nice enough, but it wasn’t exactly difficult.
So, I’ve decided to up my pasta game. I want to learn about the tricks and tips that will make my farfalle fantastic, linguine luscious and penne perfect. I want to become a pasta master.
Youtube
I’ve started on this path the same way that I start to learn anything nowadays. Youtube. Youtube tutorials have changed my life, but that’s another blog post. A simple search of “how to make perfect pasta” reveals dozens of quality videos. I added ten or so to a pasta playlist I created, and went off to study.
I’ve tweaked my recipe a little. I tried a slightly different proportion of 2 egg plus 2 yolks for every 240g of 00 flour. It still didn’t work great, making a far too sticky dough.
The results are always edible. The problem is that a sticky or unmanageable dough is difficult to work with. You won’t get beautiful shapes out of them. So, I need to find another recipe!
Over the next few months, I’m going to practice my pasta making skills. I’ll note and document the things I learn and the things I get wrong. Future blog posts will chart my progress.
Wish me luck!
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