I've made homemade pasta a couple of times. It's always laborious and time-consuming, but it's also fun and really rewarding, especially if you can wrangle a friend or significant other (hint hint, DK) into doing it with you. Plus, there's nothing more satisfying than making something from scratch. It's like magic, the way the pasta just comes together.
But making pasta from scratch is not like baking - it's far from an exact science. You just have to do it a few times to figure out what feels right. It all depends on the temperature, humidity, type of flour, size of eggs, etc. So while the perfect dough can't be scripted, here's a good place to start:
3 cups flour (all-purpose or OO)
4 eggs (large)
1 tablespoon olive oil
tools needed: large cutting board or other sanitary work surface, fork, pasta roller, a sharp knife
Mound most of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board, reserving a 1/4 cup for later. It's easy to add the reserved flour later to make wet dough drier, but it's very tough to add liquid to a dough that's too dry.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and the olive oil. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil. Then you can begin to incorporate the flour little by little by pulling some in from the sides of the well with the tines of your fork as you continue to mix the liquid in the center. Try to retain the shape of the well by pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the volcano shape.
Believe it or not, the dough will start to come together once half of the flour has been incorporated, but it will still look like a mess. Set aside the fork; now use your hands, cupping the flour in toward the center of the board and squeezing the ragged dough ball together. At this point you can start kneading the dough by hand, using the your palms to push the dough into the board, turning it over on itself, and pushing it down again. There will be stray bits of egg and flour around the edges of the dough that you should just brush to the side while you concentrate on the main task at hand. Keep kneading for 5 minutes. You should then have a heavy mass of soft dough.
Then wrap it in plastic and let the dough rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Yes, you have to let it rest. No, you can't skip this step, regardless of how hungry you might be. Kneading the dough mixes the flour with the liquid, creating gluten. To properly roll the dough in the upcoming steps you first have to let the gluten rest.
So, you've let the dough rest for 30 minutes (right?). Now you can unwrap it and cut it into four portions - you will roll one portion at a time. Let the remaining dough hang out in the fridge while you work. Lightly flour the dough you're working with and send it through the pasta machine on the thickest setting. Fold it in half or into thirds and send it through again. You will have to roll the pasta on the same setting a number of times. Each time you pass it through the roller the pasta is "kneaded" again, stretching those glutens which will give us a nice chewy pasta.
I usually move on to the next setting when the pasta is smooth and unblemished, meaning no cracks or tears in the dough. If your dough does start to rip, don't worry. You've moved to a thinner setting too quickly. Just drop the machine down to a thicker setting and re-roll the sheet. Be sure to dust it with a little flour every now and again. The pasta should never stick to your fingers - it should be smooth, soft, and elastic.
As you continue rolling, the pasta will get loooooooong - a partner is a big help when you're trying to send these long sheets through the roller. But remember, you want to be able to comfortably eat the noodle, so you can cut a long sheet of pasta in half if need be.
Once you've rolled the sheet to your desired thickness, it's time to cut! You can do this by hand by folding the sheet over on itself and cutting lengthwise with a sharp knife. This is a great way to make pappardelle. Standard pasta machines include a cutting roller, usually for fettuccine and cappellini noodles.
Once you've cut your noodles, drop them into salted boiling water for 90 seconds or until they float. There is no al dente for fresh pasta. Instead, you'll want your noodles to be smooth, shiny, and chewy. Overcooking will make your noodles gummy and gross.
And there you have it! Fresh pasta, as warned, is not an easy process. It usually takes a good bit of time and elbow grease, but what's better than producing a beautiful meal from a handful of flour and a couple of eggs?
