Fresh Pasta - Drying it

Muppet81

I have now mastered the art of making fresh pasta and rolling it in my Kitchen Aid pasta machine. :j
I cut it by hand into tagliattelle using a pizza cutter and dust it well with flour to stop it all sticking together.
It seems to help if it is then allowed to dry slightly but I can't decide how best to do this. I tried putting cling film onto a rail of my wooden clothesdrying rack and hanging it over there. All I could hear for the next hour were bits stretching then breaking off and falling on the floor :mad:
Do any of you clever OS people have any tips
I know you can buy drying racks for pasta but I suspect the same thing would happen and it would stretch and snap off.

Gingham_Ribbon

I've never done this, but are the pieces you're hanging really long? Maybe they're just too heavy?

Muppet81

Not that long and I did fold them over if they were a bit long. They seem to stretch once they are on there.

sooz

my granny always used to dry hers on a clean tea towel on the back of a chair. each pasta strand would have been about the length of the tea towel.

it was accompanied by my screaming whenever anyone tried to sit down :eek:

Nicki

Can't help with drying, but could you share your recipe for the pasta please? I recently bought a pasta maker from ebay but it didn't come with a recipe book and my first attempt at pasta dough wouldn't go through the holes!

Noozan

I gently twist the strands into a little loose nest shape and sit it in a clean tea towel to dry.

Noozan

Nicki wrote: »

Can't help with drying, but could you share your recipe for the pasta please? I recently bought a pasta maker from ebay but it didn't come with a recipe book and my first attempt at pasta dough wouldn't go through the holes!

I use about 8 oz plain flour and 2 eggs. Just tip flour onto table, make a well and add eggs, draw the flour in with your fingers and bring it together to a dough, knead gently until smooth. I sometimes add either tomato puree and chilli flakes to the dough or cooked, chopped spinach with as much water as possible squeezed out.

villeroy1502

Hi all,

From listening to what you are saying, the problem appears to be with your recipe.
If the dough is too soft it will strech & break off before it dries.
when you are making the dough it should just about come together & form quite a hard dough. Wrap it in clingfilm & rest in the fridge for 30-45mins. Then roll.

The recipe I use @ work is:
250g flour (use type '00' if possible, if not plain is an near alternative)
1 Whole egg
4 Egg yolks
15ml Water
15ml Extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of sea salt

Place the flour, salt, oil in a food processor (with a blade attachment) and press start.
Whilst running add the egg & yolkes until combined. If still appears dry & not coming together add the water gradually.
Remove from machine & knead for 3-5mins, the dough will feel tight (this is OK).
Rest as above.
Roll into plain sheets maybe only 3 or 4 at this stage, after rolling the last sheet goto the first sheet and roll through the cutters you require, then hang to dry.
I used to use a new broom handle wrapped in clingfilm but draped over the sides of a colander will do just as well.

Hope this helps.:j

MRSMCAWBER

Hi nicki

Have you got one of the machines where you throw all the ingredients in and when its mixed you pull a trap door and the dough comes out and you can change the shape?...a bit like the play dough machines you get??? if soooo i will dig you out the recipe....as i have one

Nicki

MRSMCAWBER wrote: »

Hi nicki

Have you got one of the machines where you throw all the ingredients in and when its mixed you pull a trap door and the dough comes out and you can change the shape?...a bit like the play dough machines you get??? if soooo i will dig you out the recipe....as i have one

I don't think so! Its more like a sausage maker. You are supposed to make the dough yourself then put it in the top of the machine and turn a handle like a crank. The idea is that it will then come out through the holes of whichever attachment you put on - penne, tagliatelle or spaghetti. My first and only attempt to use it failed to persuade more than a very tiny amount to come out through the holes and I gave up when my hands were red and blistered and I couldn't turn the handle any more. It may just be a rubbish machine but I suspect that the dough was also the wrong consistency!

Muppet81

Just come back on line and thanks to all of you for your replies. :T

I was following a basic pasta recipe from a Jamie Oliver video - 100g pasta flour to 1 egg for each person. I just mixed it, using a fork, in a bowl then turned it out and kneaded it on a worksurface before running it though the pasta roller I found for £2 in a charity shop.

The first time I tried it it was a very dry mix and I added a small amount of olive oil - perhaps this is what was making it so stretchy? Lots of recipes have olive oil in though so I thought it would be OK.

The result is delicious and so different from dried pasta. I quite like the idea of forming a small amount into a loose nest and drying on a tea towel and will try this next time. If I drape it over a chair back the cat will think it is a new toy.

I like the idea of adding things to the pasta dough to colour/flavour it. So many possibilities