Like testing the waters with homemade sourdough bread, making your own pasta is an experience worth trying. Here are three expert tips to get the dough rolling! 

Get your dough consistency right  

According to celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, it’s all about perfecting the consistency of your dough. But it’s tricky to know if consistency is right when kneading your dough. Gordon suggests feeling your pulse. Gordon says that after kneading, your dough’s texture should resemble the same texture as the part of your arm where you feel your pulse. That’s when you know your dough is ready. “Too much flour, it’s gonna be dry. Too little flour, and the pasta’s gonna be wet. Therefore, when we start running it through the machine, it’ll actually stick, but every thirty seconds, it needs a light sprinkling,” he explains. 

How to roll pasta (without the fancy machines) 

Don’t have a fancy food processor or a pasta machine? Don’t worry, your homemade pasta dreams don’t have to end here. According to Chef Farideh Sadeghin, you can roll out your pasta by hand. “You really need a rolling pin, and if that isn’t accessible to you, an old wine bottle will work just as well! Having a large enough work area to roll is essential, and elbow grease is your best friend when rolling pasta by hand,” she says. Bonus tip: Turn your dough 90° after a couple of rolls, so the dough stretches in all directions. 

@iamalessandralauria Make #Tagliatelle using just a #rollingpin like #nonnastyle. What would you like to see next? #pasta #pastashape #pastachallenge #italiancuisine #sfoglina ♬ Stories 2 – Danilo Stankovic

Ensure your dough rests long enough 

Ensuring your dough rests sufficiently is an essential part of making pasta to ensure dough stretches out when rolling instead of jumping back. “Pasta making shouldn’t be rushed,” says chef, cookbook author and TV personality Antonia Lofaso. “Dough is best rested for at least 2 hours, and up to 24,” she says. “Wrap in a flat disk, so it’s easier to cut when cold.” 

Make your own dough at home with this great recipe: 

Homemade Pasta Dough 

Serves: 4 – 6  

Total time // 10 – 15 minutes plus 30 minutes resting time 

 Ingredients 

1 cup flour 

½ tsp salt 

1 egg 

1 Tbsp olive oil 

Method 

1. Place flour onto a large surface in a heap. Make a deep well in the centre. 
2. Whisk egg and olive oil together and add to the well. 
3. Using a fork, slowly work the flour into the egg, starting from the inside and moving outwards, until it forms a sticky dough.
4. Knead for a few seconds, adding extra flour, if needed, until smooth.
5. Shape into a disc, wrap in clingfilm and set aside to rest for 30 minutes before shaping. 

Recipe: Chad January 

Photography: Zhann Solomons

Words: Gaynor Siljeur

Photography: Freepik

Also read: Gorgeous green pasta salad

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