Homemade Pasta Dough

Directions

• Prepare dough
• Get all your ingredients together.
• Mix the dry ingredients. Place on a cleaned surface (I just put it on the countertop).
• Use your fingers to create a well in the centre.
• Add the eggs and olive oil in the well.
• Use a fork to whisk the eggs and gradually start combining / whisking the flour into the egg mixture.
• When the mixture feels more like a dough and is too thick to mix with a fork, use your hand to knead and bring together to form a ball. A bench scraper comes in really handy at times like this.
• Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. If the dough is too dry or crumbly, add water 1 tsp at a time to bring it together. If the dough is too sticky, add a bit of flour.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest (at room temperature) for at least 30 minutes.
• Roll the dough
• Set up your pasta maker (fasten on your bench top).
• Use a knife (or the bench scraper) to cut the dough into quarters (like a pie).
• Set aside one wedge and wrap the remaining in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
• Sprinkle the surface (countertop in my case) with flour.
• Using your hands, shape the dough into an oval-shaped flat disc.
• Feed the dough through the pasta maker on the widest setting (that’s “0” in case of the Marcato Atlas 150). Gently rotate the handle to roll the dough sheet out.
• Fold the rolled dough into thirds, flatten with the palm of your hands, and with the setting at “0”, feed the dough through the pasta maker again.
• Repeat this on the same (widest) setting 2 more times (folding into thirds each time). Lightly dust the dough with flour on both sides every time you take it through the pasta maker.
• Now set the pasta maker to “1” and roll the dough through it (no need to fold again).
• Gradually reduce the setting by one rolling it thinner and thinner until you get to your desired thickness. I like “6”.
• Transfer the handle to the cutter attachment.
• Feed the sheet through the attachment and voila! You have fettuccine!
• Lay the prepared pasta on a floured surface so it doesn’t stick together. Leave to dry for 30 minutes before cooking.
• Roll out the remaining dough wedges.
• Cook & Serve
• Bring a pot of water to a boil.
• Generously salt the water.
• Drop the pasta into the water and boil for 1½ minutes.
• Serve with a tomato sauce, bolognese sauce, white/bechamel sauce, or creamy garlic sauce.