Making homemade pasta

It's pretty easy, but it might take a time or two to get the hang of it. I've made it by hand and made it in a mixer using a variety of recipes. I don't find the results to be widely variable from the recipes I have tried, but I generally prefer the mixer recipes because they are easier and faster. I also have a pasta roller that attaches to my Kitchen Aid mixer, which makes rolling it out easier because it frees up your hands to handle the output. Most recipes call for 00 flour and/or semolina flour, which seem to be pretty widely available. Try it out and let us know how it goes.

I use regular AP flour and mix the dough using a food processor. To every large egg, use 7/8 cup + 2 T (or -2T from one cup) flour and a fat pinch of salt. Put egg, flour, salt in food processor w/metal cutting blade. Pulse to mix until the mixture is somewhat cohesive, scrape down the sides as needed. Keep pulsing until the dough clings together, then run for about 15-30 seconds to smooth it out. Take dough blob out of processor, knead 3-4 times on countertop. Let it rest for 30 minutes, cut in half, then run through pasta rollers.

I've tried mixing by hand, using Kitchenaid mixer, and I think the food processor is best/fastest. I do use the KA pasta roller & cutter attachments. A hand-cranked pasta roller can be tricky to use without a second set of hands.

To use the KA rollers, start on the widest setting. Flatten the dough portion a little, flour the outside a bit, then send it through. Fold the flattened dough in half and run it through again; do this step 2-3 times before re-flouring & reducing the size of the rolling gap (KA rollers have a knob w/numbers to indicate the size). Don't be afraid to flour as you go. Let flat pieces dry for 10-15 minutes before you try to use the motorized cutters, or the dough will jam/gum up the rollers.

My ex's grandmother was like that. She made it look so easy. That's the reason that I want to do it. Fresh pasta is so much better.

I have a feeling that it won't be so easy when I do it.

Thanks for the advice.

Thanks

Handrolling isn't so hard to master, it just ends up taking a crazy long time. You also need a work surface at a comfortable height and strong forearms. After all that effort, the texture is not noticeably better or even different from machine rolled. The kind of flour used will affect texture far more than hand vs machine rolling.

Handrolling is useful if you want to make very wide sheets, as most mechanical rollers are relatively narrow.

If you want a crazy handrolling challenge, make homemade strudel dough. A lump of dough ends up as big as a tabletop and nearly see through.

One thing I forgot to mention: if you make fresh pasta dough and don't use it relatively quickly, it can turn grey or green. I think this is because of the eggs, but I'm not sure. To avoid this, either use it immediately, or freeze it.

Thanks everyone!

It's been a busy day and I'm just getting back to this thread. I'm going to give it a try soon.