Fresh Pasta

[Gruney]

I have been presented with a pasta making machine, which I am anxious to get cracking with. I've watched lots of videos, and it all seems quite straightforward apart from one step, to which I can find no definitive answer. I would use my food processor for the initial stage, and my machine to roll out. Do I still have to hand knead the dough for say ten minutes,after the food processor operation- I'm assuming I still have to let it rest for half an hour- or does the rolling out serve that purpose?

[PatsyMFagan]

The dough doesn't need the 10 minute knead that bread dough does. You just bring the ingredients all together until they are smooth.

[herbidacious]

I have not used mine for many years (I got out of the habit when I had nothing to clamp it onto for quite a while!) but I seem to remember making sure there are no air bubbles is a thing.

[Lusciouslush]

Good on you for having a bash at it Gruney.....!

I can't help - haven't made any for centuries now.

[scullion]

i would imagine the food processor will do the bit of kneading, needed, for you then the rolling will probably smooth the mix out as you decrease the roller size. if not, just fold it and put it through on the same thickness for a couple of goes.
i suggest you put a layer of semolina or something on the counter top (where you guide it out) so it doesn't stick when you stretch it out after each roll - it has a tendency to fold over itself as it comes off the rollers if you don't guide it away from the machine.
or do it in smallish parts until you get the hang of it.

ps cleaning is a bit of a chore. you'll probably find a few rattles after you think it's clean and some enclosed pasta has dried out!

[Uschi]

You can just knead by hand until smooth, as mentioned before and then simply run through the widest setting, fold over and repeat until you feel happy.

When I had mine, I had problems in the beginning with dough sticking to the cutters. The solution was to let the sheets dry out (once they had reached the thinnest setting) on clean tea towels for a bit. You'll have to experiment.

It was fun, but eventually I used it for my Fimo and then, of course, food production with it was out.

[Gruney]

Thanks all. I don't know what I'd do without you.

[Stokey Sue]

Food processor completely kneads a loaf of bread in 60 seconds, so I can’t see it requiring manual kneading as well.

Important to use the dough blade, which lifts the dough off the base of the processor goblet.

[Amber]

I found the hardest part was finding somewhere to hang the pasta.

[Suffs]

Years ago in a Tuscan village restaurant the mother of the chef-patron showed me how she made pasta and she hung it over the backs of kitchen chairs, but she showed me a old clothes horse that she would use on days when she made more pasta

[Earthmaiden]

Yes, we used a clothes horse when I went to the posh cookery classes.

[scullion]

yup, clothes horse here.

[herbidacious]

Naturally I had (have?) a dedicated drying rack

My pasta machine and the rack were a getting my Masters present from parents, bought in Boots.

[ZeroCook]

Hi Gruney and all
I my (Italiano ) pasta machine and make a fair bit of homemade pasta Just to add - after mixing the pasta dough from whatever recipe using, autolysing (ie simply allowing dough/flour to hydrate - same as bread) for 20 or more minutes replaces kneading. In addition, kneading is actually done as the pasta dough passes thru the rollers getting folded and rolled several times as the desired thickness is reached.

[Gruney]

Thanks Zero Cook - that's another step in confidence building.

[Uschi]

Something just occurred to me, I haven't made pasta for ages, so forget a lot of stuff ...

You can make wonderful ravioli, too. There are additions for the machines, or low-tech solutions that can be found in Turkish or Near-Eastern shops that you simply place on the table, cover with a strip of dough from the machine, fill, cover with another strip an press down on.

I mean these things. Made of plastic they are not expensive and if you like them you can always get a metal one.



For bigger ones like pelmeni and pirogi you can use these thingies ... they are great for baked puff-pastry pies, too.

[ZeroCook]

Indeed, Uschi!
And good for Chinese dim sum dumplings too. I have a set of stainless steel ones that I picked up very inexpensively from ebay, along with round cutters. Ditto an Italian Eppicotispai brand metal raviolera form/cutter which comes with a cute little wood rolling pin and which is lovely to use. It regularly winks at me from its shelf place as I haven't used since last year - good reminder to get it out
e.g. this one on ebay for a tenner