Pasta Dough

There will never be a time when I don’t have an occasion to reach for a bag of dried pasta. But, for me, if I have the time, there is something wonderful about the soft, silky unctuousness of fresh pasta enveloped in a delicious tasting sauce which is worth the extra effort.

This recipe shows you how to make pasta dough in a food processor which means your basic dough can be ready in a matter of minutes. You can make the dough a day ahead. Just store in the fridge tightly wrapped in clingfilm and take it out of the fridge 30 minutes or so before you want to use it.

Method

Serves 4

Prep time; 15 minutes, plus 1 hour resting

Tip the flour into a food processor, covering the hole in the centre first if it has one. Give it a quick whizz using the pulse button which aerates it in the same way sieving it in does. Add the olive oil and the eggs.

Pulse the mixture until it starts to form first breadcrumbs and small uneven balls. Take the cover off the food processor and check all the flour has been incorporated.

Take some of the dough between your fingers and push it together. It should come together quite easily. You don’t want the pasta to be wet but it should be tacky.

If the dough is too dry, add a bit more beaten egg. If it is too wet, add a bit more flour. Don’t worry if it needs adjusting, different flours will take different amounts of liquid and egg sizes can vary too.

When you are happy, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. To knead the dough, fold it in half on itself and push down. Then continue this process, until the dough is smooth, elastic and malleable.

Wrap the dough tightly in clingfilm and set it aside to rest for at least an hour. It will be fine on the side in a cool kitchen, but if it is hot or you are storing it for longer, then put the dough in the fridge.

When you are ready to use the dough, bring it out of the fridge 30 minutes or so before you want to use it to let it come up to room temperature again.

Note - If you want to adjust the amount of dough you are making, you need 1 egg for every 100g of flour and 5g oil.

Ingredients

400g ‘00’ pasta flour (or strong bread flour is you can’t get pasta flour)

4 large or 5 medium eggs

1 tsp olive oil