If you want to truly eat Italian pasta, and you have to be able to make it from scratch. Some people might be shocked at the idea of making their own pasta instead of simply buying it at the store. At the same time, there is something special about homemade pasta. Take a look at some of the top tips for making homemade pasta below.
Consider The Sauce
First, you have to consider the sauce that is going to go with the pasta. There are different shapes of pasta and the shapes are important because they are meant to grab the sauce. For example, shorter pasta, such as penne and cavatelli are going to be better at grabbing onto the sauce than longer types of pasta. Furthermore, pasta that has ridges, such as rigatoni, is going to grab sauce better than pasta that is smooth. Therefore, you should consider this when you are thinking about what type of pasta you want to make.
Start With Less Flour
Remember that it is easier to add more ingredients than to take it out. With this in mind, always start with less flour. Good pasta is usually going to be somewhere around 50 percent water by weight. It is better to start by making the dough a bit wetter because it is always easier to add more flour than it is to add more water. At the same time, you don’t want the final pasta to be caked in flour. Therefore, be sparing with a flower and add more if needed.
Knead The Dough Thoroughly
Finally, the longer you knead the pasta dough, the easier it is going to be to roll out later. Therefore, try to knead it for at least 10 minutes at the start. Once the surface is no longer sticky, it will be good to go. This will help you create pasta that is uniform in color and smooth with those perfect dimples on the surface.
Make Italian Pasta From Scratch
Once you are done with this process, let the dough rest. Try to rest it for at least a half-hour before shaping it. Following these tips will help you create the perfect Italian pasta. Don’t hesitate to try to make several different shapes! Some shapes of pasta are better are certain types of sauces than others.
