Pasta Acqua E Farina (Flour-And-Water Dough)
Serves: 2
Iva Padberg
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
50
Spice
35
Sweetness
48
Sourness
40
mins
Prep time (avg)
4.9
Difficulty
Ingredients:
Directions:
1
Hand method: Sift the flour onto a large wooden board
2
Form the flour into a mound with the approximate profile of Mount Fuji
3
Form your hand into a loose fist, and, with the back of the fingers, gently ream out the center of the mound until you have something that resembles a low, broad volcano with a very deep crater
4
Italian cooks call this a fountain, fontana, for the pool of liquid in the center, but it's definitely a cone
5
Pour about half the water into the crater; add more water gradually as needed
6
Incorporate the liquid from the center outward
7
The walls of the crater will keep the liquid from running out
8
When the liquid has absorbed enough flour that you now have a messy, wet dough surrounded by flour, knock what's left of the volcano in toward the center and begin to knead with your hands to incorporate the rest of the flour into the dough
9
Scrape up all the remaining flour and the dough bits and squeeze them into the dough
10
Sift the flour onto a large wooden board
11
Form the flour into a mound with the approximate profile of Mount Fuji
12
Form your hand into a loose fist, and, with the back of the fingers, gently ream out the center of the mound until you have something that resembles a low, broad volcano with a very deep crater
13
Italian cooks call this a fountain, fontana, for the pool of liquid in the center, but it's definitely a cone
14
Pour about half the water into the crater; add more water gradually as needed
15
Incorporate the liquid from the center outward
16
The walls of the crater will keep the liquid from running out
17
When the liquid has absorbed enough flour that you now have a messy, wet dough surrounded by flour, knock what's left of the volcano in toward the center and begin to knead with your hands to incorporate the rest of the flour into the dough
18
Scrape up all the remaining flour and the dough bits and squeeze them into the dough
19
Food processor method: Put all the ingredients in the container of a food processor fitted with the steel blade (not pastry hooks or the like)
20
Let rip at high speed until you see crumbs forming
21
Keep going until the dough forms a ball
22
You may become convinced that your dough will never form a single ball, only many little ones
23
In that case, give up because you risk overheating the dough
24
Pour what you have out on the wooden board; use your hands to form the pieces into a single loaf of dough
25
Put all the ingredients in the container of a food processor fitted with the steel blade (not pastry hooks or the like)
26
Let rip at high speed until you see crumbs forming
27
Keep going until the dough forms a ball
28
You may become convinced that your dough will never form a single ball, only many little ones
29
In that case, give up because you risk overheating the dough
30
Pour what you have out on the wooden board; use your hands to form the pieces into a single loaf of dough
31
Kneading: The biggest mistake people make, says Oretta, is not using enough force
32
Skip the gym the day you make pasta and make kneading your workout
33
The women of Scandriglia, where Oretta has her country house, recommend making fettuccine as a remedy for backache in preference to those boring exercises
34
On the other hand, my friend Antonietta, who learned to make pasta as a child in Basilicata, tells me southern men enjoy watching the undulating hips of southern women as they knead the pasta dough
35
If it helps to put on some music and do the maccheroni mambo as you knead, go right ahead
36
Plant your feet firmly on the floor and the heels of your hands firmly on the dough in front of you
37
A dining table will usually be a more comfortable height than a kitchen counter, which may be too high
38
With all your strength, and leaning in with your whole body, push the dough forward hard with the heel of one hand, then with the heel of the other hand
39
Then fold it over and continue the movement, alternating hands—or whatever works for you
40
You're pushing the whole piece of dough forward, so it moves on the board
41
After each completed movement, give the dough a quarter turn and repeat
42
Keep this up for 30 minutes, or as long as you can stand
43
If you've used the food processor, 15 or 20 minutes will do
44
You can quit early, too, if you plan to use a rolling machine: send the dough through one extra pass for each minute of kneading saved
45
As you work, the dough may seem dry, but you don't want it to be wet and sticky
46
It needs just enough moisture to hold it together, not a drop more
47
If your dough is so dry that you are quite sure it will never hold together, you can add a teensy bit of water
48
Your goal is a single smooth loaf of dough that is not sticky to the touch
49
If the flour is either very freshly ground (hence moister) or very old (drier), you'll have to adjust by feel
50
When it feels just right—moist but not tacky, considerably drier than the average dog's nose—set it aside for a moment
51
You'll probably need to clean the board about halfway through the process
52
Use a plastic scraper or the blunt side of a large knife to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the board
53
(Sharp knives may damage your nice wooden board, and their edges are dulled by scraping
54
) Likewise wash your hands, which are doubtless also encrusted with bits of dried dough by this time
55
The biggest mistake people make, says Oretta, is not using enough force
56
Skip the gym the day you make pasta and make kneading your workout
57
The women of Scandriglia, where Oretta has her country house, recommend making fettuccine as a remedy for backache in preference to those boring exercises
58
On the other hand, my friend Antonietta, who learned to make pasta as a child in Basilicata, tells me southern men enjoy watching the undulating hips of southern women as they knead the pasta dough
59
If it helps to put on some music and do the maccheroni mambo as you knead, go right ahead
60
Plant your feet firmly on the floor and the heels of your hands firmly on the dough in front of you
61
A dining table will usually be a more comfortable height than a kitchen counter, which may be too high
62
With all your strength, and leaning in with your whole body, push the dough forward hard with the heel of one hand, then with the heel of the other hand
63
Then fold it over and continue the movement, alternating hands—or whatever works for you
64
You're pushing the whole piece of dough forward, so it moves on the board
65
After each completed movement, give the dough a quarter turn and repeat
66
Keep this up for 30 minutes, or as long as you can stand
67
If you've used the food processor, 15 or 20 minutes will do
68
You can quit early, too, if you plan to use a rolling machine: send the dough through one extra pass for each minute of kneading saved
69
As you work, the dough may seem dry, but you don't want it to be wet and sticky
70
It needs just enough moisture to hold it together, not a drop more
71
If your dough is so dry that you are quite sure it will never hold together, you can add a teensy bit of water
72
Your goal is a single smooth loaf of dough that is not sticky to the touch
73
If the flour is either very freshly ground (hence moister) or very old (drier), you'll have to adjust by feel
74
When it feels just right—moist but not tacky, considerably drier than the average dog's nose—set it aside for a moment
75
You'll probably need to clean the board about halfway through the process
76
Use a plastic scraper or the blunt side of a large knife to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the board
77
(Sharp knives may damage your nice wooden board, and their edges are dulled by scraping
78
) Likewise wash your hands, which are doubtless also encrusted with bits of dried dough by this time
79
Resting: Once you have a beautifully silky loaf of dough, let it rest for 30 minutes to let the gluten develop
80
Wrap it in foil, or just place it on the board and invert a bowl over it until you're ready
81
By this time, you probably need to put your feet up too
82
When the dough and you have rested, you can proceed to the next stage
83
Depending on what kind of pasta you want to make, this may involve rolling and cutting to make a pasta sheet (sfoglia) or pulling pieces directly from the loaf of dough and shaping them by hand
84
Once you have a beautifully silky loaf of dough, let it rest for 30 minutes to let the gluten develop
85
Wrap it in foil, or just place it on the board and invert a bowl over it until you're ready
86
By this time, you probably need to put your feet up too
87
When the dough and you have rested, you can proceed to the next stage
88
Depending on what kind of pasta you want to make, this may involve rolling and cutting to make a pasta sheet (sfoglia) or pulling pieces directly from the loaf of dough and shaping them by hand