29 August, 2017

Once you get the feel of the dough, making pasta without eggs is easy. It is a little softer and more delicate, but the texture is divine. Homemade pasta is much lighter on the system and easier to digest.

The durum wheat flour helps absorb the flavours. It makes a softer, silkier, smoother dough that you will not get from other flours. It also absorbs more water than ordinary flour, so keep that in mind if swapping the flour around.

This is a recipe that has developed over trial and error. I am sure it will evolve even more as time passes, and I will update you accordingly. So far, I found that when rolling and thinning the dough, I used a liberal amount of flour. This may have something to do with where we live, as there is a lot of moisture in the air in Sintra. I found using an icing sugar shaker very handy for this purpose. A sifter or sieve will work just as well to get a fine layer of dusting. The process is quite time-consuming; however, the more confident you become with it, the quicker it is. The results are so delicious and worth the effort, and it’s impossible to return to a box of dried pasta. Making your pasta from scratch is a very satisfying process.

tips

If making this for the first time, halve the dough recipe. It comfortably serves 3 – 4; once shaped, I serve 120g per person.
The best way to get good at making fresh pasta is to make it again and again!

pasta dough without eggs

preparation 1½ hours

serves 6

Recipe inspired by Kusama via Elegantly Vegan.

ingredients

480g/4¼ cups finely ground semolina flour from durum wheat

2 tsp fine rock salt

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 – 1¼ cup/250 – 300ml warm water

extra flour for dusting

special equipment

pasta making machine

prepare the dough

In a medium bowl, measure out the flour, add the salt, and whisk to combine. Then, create a well in the centre, drizzle in the olive oil, and slowly pour in the water, little by little.
Using your hands, combine the dry ingredients with the wet, adding water a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together into a ball.
Dust your work surface with flour and knead the dough. Begin gently folding the dough on itself, flattening, and folding again for about 10 minutes. Then, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for ½ – 1 hour. For best results, knead and allow the dough to rest for as long as possible.

rolling out the dough

Unwrap the dough and divide it into quarters, then each quarter in half again, so you have eight equal portions weighing approximately 90 – 100 grams.
Work with one portion at a time and cover the rest. Flour your work surface and flatten one piece of dough. Feed it through the thickest setting on the machine—#0. Lightly dust both sides of the sheet of pasta with flour and fold it into thirds, like folding a letter. Dust again and feed the pasta crosswise between the rollers. Repeat this step 5 – 6 times. This helps strengthen the gluten in the flour, giving it a chewier texture when cooked.
Change settings to #1, dust with flour, and feed it through the machine without folding; then set it on #2 and so forth until you achieve the desired thickness. I finished at #5 for fettuccini, spaghetti, or lasagna sheets and #6 for ravioli/tortellini.

If your pasta sticks at all, dust both sides with more flour. If it is too lengthy to manage, lay it on a cutting board and cut it in half. Don’t tug or pull on the pasta as it goes through the machine. Let the rollers do the work.

Cut the sheet of pasta crosswise into pieces about 25 cm long and lightly dust them with flour again.

Roll out all the dough at once to make the process easier before cutting it into the desired shape. Dust the pasta sheets generously with flour and overlap them on a floured board. When ready to cut, use the sheets which were rolled out first and have been sitting longer to dry.

cutting the pasta

If making filled pasta or lasagna, proceed with shaping. If cutting into noodles, switch from the pasta roller to the noodle cutter, dust again with flour and run the pasta sheet through the cutter. When the pasta comes through the cutter, dust generously with flour and gently fold into loose rounds to make a nest or lay flat. Dust again with a little flour and continue with the remaining dough. Leave the pasta to air dry for 15 minutes, up to 3 hours before use. This helps the pasta not to clump together while cooking.
When ready to cook the pasta, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil, add the pasta, wait for it to boil again, and cook for about 1 – 2 minutes—don’t overcook! When it’s ready, the pasta should float to the top of the pot and be al dente. Drain, drizzle it with olive oil, or toss it with your favourite pasta sauce, and it’s ready to serve.

to dry

Allow to air dry until completely brittle, turning the nests from time to time. Depending on the humidity, it should take 5 – 6 hours.

to freeze

Gather the bundles in a single layer separated with baking paper and freeze them in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Do not thaw them – place them directly in boiling water – it may take 2 – 3 minutes to cook.