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Recipe Requests / Re: ISO (in search of) a recipe to make my own pasta
« on: July 04, 2010, 12:28:44 am »
I have made my own pasta for a long time and I also wasn't too happy with the result from the TMX. The recipe was pretty much what I always use so I'm not sure why but mine also came out like breadcrumbs. I had to take it out of the TMX and knead it by hand so I felt like I got the TMX dirty for no real value.
I have found that pasta making, like bread making, is all about feeling the dough rather than following the recipe. It should be smooth and flexible and not stick to your fingers. If mine isn't moist enough I add olive oil or a little water. You have to be careful to add only a very small amount at a time and work it in (by small amount I mean just wet your hands).
After you've got it to the right consistency, cover in plastic (I usually stick in a tupperware) and rest in the fridge for about an hour. Then you can start working through your pasta maker.
It's important to work the dough so it needs to go through each setting on the pasta-maker (well to be honest I use every second setting because I'm lazy). So cut off a small piece, pass it through at setting 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 8 (for example). The more times you pass it through the better it is. If you want to get a nice even, tidy look, fold it into a nice rectangle and then pass through the same setting. So do setting 1 - fold - setting 1 again. It gives a more professional look and works the dough more (although I usually only do this if I'm giving the pasta to someone else!).
Good luck! It's worth the effort.
I have found that pasta making, like bread making, is all about feeling the dough rather than following the recipe. It should be smooth and flexible and not stick to your fingers. If mine isn't moist enough I add olive oil or a little water. You have to be careful to add only a very small amount at a time and work it in (by small amount I mean just wet your hands).
After you've got it to the right consistency, cover in plastic (I usually stick in a tupperware) and rest in the fridge for about an hour. Then you can start working through your pasta maker.
It's important to work the dough so it needs to go through each setting on the pasta-maker (well to be honest I use every second setting because I'm lazy). So cut off a small piece, pass it through at setting 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 8 (for example). The more times you pass it through the better it is. If you want to get a nice even, tidy look, fold it into a nice rectangle and then pass through the same setting. So do setting 1 - fold - setting 1 again. It gives a more professional look and works the dough more (although I usually only do this if I'm giving the pasta to someone else!).
Good luck! It's worth the effort.