ISO (in search of) a recipe to make my own pasta

[brazen20au]

my wonderful mother gave me a gorgeous red pasta maker for my birthday and i'd love to have a go with it tonight - anyone got a recipe to recommend - one that you've tried and know is good? (even if it's not a tmx one, i'm happy to convert )

has anyone used the tmx one? any comments?

thanks!

[Thermomixer]

The pasta recipe is fine - use bakers flour (with extra gluten) - Italian "00" or whatever you use for making bread.

Once the pasta dough has been made and rested, try making lasagna -put through the rollers til about the second thinnest.

You can roll the lasagna sheets up once cooked to make cannaloni- easier than stuffing the premade shells.

YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE FUN!!!   

[brazen20au]

i use aldi flour to make bread 

i will buy some special flour this afternoon if i remember!

[brazen20au]

HELPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP

i tried this pasta tonight and it was a complete and utter disaster 

bought the proper flour, made it exactly as the recipe said (what size eggs am i supposed to use?)

it came out like breadcrumbs and i wasn't too worried as it seemed to hold together a bit once i used my hands. but then i realised it was very dry (i had to add quite a bit of water) and it was as tough as old boots  it was SO tough i couldn't FORCE it through my pasta maker.

i'm really annoyed and disappointed - what went wrong??? any ideas?

[UnConundrum]

Sounds like your dough was way too dry.   You can find my recipe at http://www.recipesonrails.com/recipes/show/526-pasta.  The amount of liquids can vary with the flours you use.  I use half all purpose and half semolina.  For eggs, I usually use extra large (I know the standard for recipes is large.... ).  If you find that it's still too dry, you can add some water. 

Maybe you should post the recipe you used, might give us an idea what you did wrong.

[Thermomixer]

Hi brazen, I have used the recipe and successfully -as Warren says the moisture content of the flour can vary.  Some bakers use hygrometers to measure moisture content of flour when mixing to know how much water/fluid to add to the batch.

If it looked like breadcrumbs then it sounds like there was not enough moisture.  Best to add a little and knead some more.  You need to knead it to activate the gluten and enable it to stretch.  It needs to be pliable and smooth after

Did you let it rest after the first knead?

It may help to put it back into the TMX ( or leave it in to rest if you aren't using the machine for 30-60 minutes) and knead it again for a minute before passing thru the rollers.  It needs to be pliable and smooth to do this step.

Did you roll and fold a few times on the first setting?

Sorry, hope you try again.

[brazen20au]

the recipe doesn't really say much at all! (will post it later) and it certainly doesn't mention resting. i wanted to use it this evening for a lasagne so lucky me gets to try again lol

more later...

[brazen20au]

ok, here's the 'recipe' (somehow i suspect it's written for people who know what they're doing not complete novices)

Pasta Dough
3 eggs
300g plain flour
10g EVOO

place all ingredients in TM bowl. set dial to closed lid position and knead for 2 minutes on interval speed.

note: up to 500g of flour can be used - use one egg for each 100g of flour

that's it, that's all the instruction there is

[UnConundrum]

Well, as we've already mentioned, the size of the eggs can make the difference.  I'd go with extra large (at least, that's what we call them in the US).  100 grams of flour per egg sounds about right, but it shouldn't be granular when you mix it.  Also, you should add some salt to the dough...  I do it by sight, and can't give you an exact measurement... sorry.  I'd say at least a half teaspoon (don't know how that equates to your measures).

[zebraa]

I've used that recipie a few times and it has been fine. It does look like breadcrumbs - I just pull it out and press it all together - give it a little knead and let it sit while I assemble the pasta machine and it seems to work fine.

I do have issues storing it though - I keep it in the fridge and it seems to stick together too much when I cook it.

I am going to try with gluten free grains so that may be interesting!

[Thermomixer]

I do have issues storing it though - I keep it in the fridge and it seems to stick together too much when I cook it.

Try mixing some semolina through it when cut at first to help prevent it sticking.  The semolina drops off in cooking but helps prevent sticking

[zebraa]

Thankyou - that is a great tip.

[gertbysea]

One thing I learned is always to let if rest and I do that in the fridge for about an hour and have no trouble putting it in the pasta maker. I also use throw lots of flour around when rolling it..

There is nothing on earth to compare with fresh made pasta.

Gretchen

[BellaBear]

I have made my own pasta for a long time and I also wasn't too happy with the result from the TMX.  The recipe was pretty much what I always use so I'm not sure why but mine also came out like breadcrumbs.  I had to take it out of the TMX and knead it by hand so I felt like I got the TMX dirty for no real value.

I have found that pasta making, like bread making, is all about feeling the dough rather than following the recipe.  It should be smooth and flexible and not stick to your fingers.  If mine isn't moist enough I add olive oil or a little water.  You have to be careful to add only a very small amount at a time and work it in (by small amount I mean just wet your hands).

After you've got it to the right consistency, cover in plastic (I usually stick in a tupperware) and rest in the fridge for about an hour.  Then you can start working through your pasta maker.

It's important to work the dough so it needs to go through each setting on the pasta-maker (well to be honest I use every second setting because I'm lazy).  So cut off a small piece, pass it through at setting 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 - 8 (for example).  The more times you pass it through the better it is.  If you want to get a nice even, tidy look, fold it into a nice rectangle and then pass through the same setting.  So do setting 1 - fold - setting 1 again.  It gives a more professional look and works the dough more (although I usually only do this if I'm giving the pasta to someone else!).

Good luck!  It's worth the effort.

[gertbysea]

Excellent advice Bella Bear. It is all about out the feel and the love.

Gretchen