Once you get the feel of the dough, making pasta without eggs is easy, it is a little softer, more delicate, however, 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, silky, smooth dough, that you will not get from other flours. It also absorbs more water then ordinary flour, so keep that in mind if swapping the flours around.
This is a recipe that has developed over trial and error, as time goes on I am sure it will evolve even more and I will update accordingly. So far, I found 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 the process the quicker it is. The results are so delicious and worth the effort and impossible to go back to a box of dried pasta. Making your pasta from scratch is a very satisfying process.
pasta dough without eggs
Preparation 1½ hours
Serves 6
Recipe inspired by Kusama via Elegantly Vegan.
If making 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!
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
preparing the pasta dough
1. 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.
2. Using your hands, combine the dry into the wet, adding water a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together into a ball.
3. 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 pasta dough
4. Unwrap the dough and divide it into quarters, and then each quarter in half again so you have eight equal portions, weighing approximately 90 – 100 grams.
5. 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 this piece of dough 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.
6. Change settings to – #1, dust with flour and feed it through the machine without folding; then set it on #2 and so forth until achieving the desired thickness – I finished at #5 for fettucini/spaghetti and lasagna sheets, #6 for ravioli/tortellini.
If your pasta sticks at all, dust both sides with more flour or is too lengthy to manage, lay on a cutting board and cut in half. Don’t tug or pull on the pasta as it goes through the machine. Let the rollers do the work.
7. Cut the sheet of pasta crosswise into pieces about 25 cm long and lightly dust them with flour again.
To make the process easier, roll out all the dough at once before cutting it into the desired shape. Dust the sheets of pasta 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
8. 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 sheet of pasta through the cutter. As soon as 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 – 3 hours before using. This helps the pasta to not clump together while cooking.
9. When ready to cook the pasta, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil, then add the pasta to the water, wait for it to boil again and cook for about 1 – 2 minutes – don’t overcook! The pasta should float to the top of the pot when it’s ready and be al dente. Drain and then just drizzle it in 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, in an airtight container, up to 3 months. Do not thaw them – place them directly in boiling water – may take 2 – 3 minutes to cook.
serving suggestions
Jonathan’s Sunday night pasta sauce
tortellini with roasted pumpkin & sage butter
Note to self
Lasagna – #5 (use 320g flour)
Ravioli/tortellini – #6 (240g flour)
Goodness shared by Stacey
