Jamie Olivers Pasta Fresh Pasta Dough Recipes

BASIC RECIPE FOR FRESH EGG PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Place the flour on a board or in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it.
• Using a fork, beat the eggs until smooth. Mix together with the flour as much as possible so it's not too sticky.
• Flour each hand and begin to knead. This is the bit where you can let all your emotions out, so go for it! What you want to end up with is a nice piece of smooth, silky, elastic dough.
• Cover it with clingfilm and leave it to rest for about half an hour in the fridge before rolling and shaping it.

SUPER-QUICK FRESH PASTA

Steps:

• Put the flour in a bowl, then gradually mix in just enough water to bring it together into a ball of dough (if it's sticky, add a little extra flour).
• Knead for just a couple of minutes, or until smooth and shiny.
• On a flour-dusted surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the pasta to about 2mm thick.
• Dust it well with flour, then loosely roll it up. Use a sharp knife to slice it ½cm thick, then toss it with your hands to separate the strands.
• Cook in boiling salted water for 2 minutes, then drain and toss with your chosen sauce.

JAMIE OLIVER'S PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Place the flour on a clean surface.
• Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and yolks.
• Use a fork to break up the eggs, then start bringing in the flour.
• Stir with the fork until you have a dough which is easily workable with your hands.
• Knead well until it becomes smooth, silky and elastic and the surface is clean.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for a while.
• When you are ready to shape the pasta, break the dough into four pieces.
• Take one ball at a time, flatten it with your hand and run it through the thickest setting on your pasta machine.
• Fold in half and repeat this several times.
• Start narrowing down the settings, dusting the dough with flour each time you run it through, stopping when the sheet is 1-2mm thick.
• You can also use a rolling pin but it will take longer than if you have a pasta machine.
• When you have a thin sheet, shape as desired.
• To cook, drop the pasta into boiling water and cook just until al dente-- no more than five minutes and perhaps as little as two minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta.
• Store any extra in the fridge for up to half a day or you can dry it and store in airtight containers.

BASIC FRESH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Mound the flour in the center of a large, wide mixing bowl. Dig a well in the center of the mound and add eggs and yolks. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. The dough will start to come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.
• Use your fingers to continue to mix the dough. Press any loose bits of flour into the mass of dough. If needed, add another egg yolk or a tablespoon of water to absorb all of the flour. Once the dough comes together into a cohesive mass, remove it from the bowl.
• Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 4 to 5 more minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and uniform in color. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside for at least 30 minutes (and up to 4 hours) at room temperature.
• Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly dust with semolina flour. Set aside.
• Cut off a quarter of the dough. Rewrap rest, and set aside. Use the heel of your hand to flatten the dough into an oval approximately the same width as your pasta machine, about six inches. Set the rollers to their widest setting and pass the dough through.
• Lay the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board or countertop and neatly press together into halves, so it's again about the same width of the pasta machine. Feed the pasta through again at the widest setting. Think of these first rollings as an extended kneading. Continue to fold the dough in thirds and roll it until it is smooth, silky and even-textured. Do your best to make the sheet the full width of the machine.
• Once the dough is silky and smooth, you can begin to roll it out more thinly. Roll it once through each of the next two or three settings, adding flour as needed, until the dough is about 1/4-inch thick.
• Once the pasta is about 1/4-inch thick, begin rolling it twice through each setting. As you roll, lightly sprinkle all-purpose or 00 flour on both sides of the pasta to prevent it from sticking to itself.
• Roll out pasta until you can just see the outline of your hand when you hold it under a sheet, about 1/16-inch thick for noodles, or 1/32-inch thick for a filled pasta. (On most machines, you won't make it to the thinnest setting.)
• Cut pasta into sheets, about 12 to 14 inches long. Dust the sheets lightly with semolina flour and stack on one of the prepared baking sheets and cover with a clean, lightly dampened kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough.