Pasta All'Uovo (Egg Dough)
Serves: 3
Rowena Kautzer
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
41
Spice
46
Sweetness
49
Sourness
48
mins
Prep time (avg)
6.6
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
Break all the eggs into the crater one by one
6
Pierce the yolks with a fork and begin gingerly to use the fork to incorporate them into the flour with a movement something like scrambling eggs
7
Incorporate the liquid from the center outward
8
The walls of the crater will keep the liquid from running out
9
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
10
Scrape up all the remaining flour and the dough bits and squeeze them into the dough
11
Sift the flour onto a large wooden board
12
Form the flour into a mound with the approximate profile of Mount Fuji
13
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
14
Italian cooks call this a fountain, fontana, for the pool of liquid in the center, but it's definitely a cone
15
Break all the eggs into the crater one by one
16
Pierce the yolks with a fork and begin gingerly to use the fork to incorporate them into the flour with a movement something like scrambling eggs
17
Incorporate the liquid from the center outward
18
The walls of the crater will keep the liquid from running out
19
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
20
Scrape up all the remaining flour and the dough bits and squeeze them into the dough
21
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)
22
Let rip at high speed until you see crumbs forming
23
Keep going until the dough forms a ball
24
You may become convinced that your dough will never form a single ball, only many little ones
25
In that case, give up because you risk overheating the dough
26
Pour what you have out on the wooden board; use your hands to form the pieces into a single loaf of dough
27
Put all the ingredients in the container of a food processor fitted with the steel blade (not pastry hooks or the like)
28
Let rip at high speed until you see crumbs forming
29
Keep going until the dough forms a ball
30
You may become convinced that your dough will never form a single ball, only many little ones
31
In that case, give up because you risk overheating the dough
32
Pour what you have out on the wooden board; use your hands to form the pieces into a single loaf of dough
33
Kneading: The biggest mistake people make, says Oretta, is not using enough force
34
Skip the gym the day you make pasta and make kneading your workout
35
The women of Scandriglia, where Oretta has her country house, recommend making fettuccine as a remedy for backache in preference to those boring exercises
36
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
37
If it helps to put on some music and do the maccheroni mambo as you knead, go right ahead
38
Plant your feet firmly on the floor and the heels of your hands firmly on the dough in front of you
39
A dining table will usually be a more comfortable height than a kitchen counter, which may be too high
40
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
41
Then fold it over and continue the movement, alternating hands—or whatever works for you
42
You're pushing the whole piece of dough forward, so it moves on the board
43
After each completed movement, give the dough a quarter turn and repeat
44
Keep this up for 30 minutes, or as long as you can stand
45
If you've used the food processor, 15 or 20 minutes will do
46
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
47
As you work, the dough may seem dry, but you don't want it to be wet and sticky
48
It needs just enough moisture to hold it together, not a drop more
49
If your dough is so dry that you are quite sure it will never hold together, you can add a teensy bit of water
50
(It used to be quite normal to use water to save eggs, which could be sold for cash
51
) Your goal is a single smooth loaf of dough that is not sticky to the touch
52
If the flour is either very freshly ground (hence moister) or very old (drier), you'll have to adjust by feel
53
When it feels just right—moist but not tacky, considerably drier than the average dog's nose—set it aside for a moment
54
You'll probably need to clean the board about halfway through the process
55
Use a plastic scraper or the blunt side of a large knife to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the board
56
(Sharp knives may damage your nice wooden board, and their edges are dulled by scraping
57
) Likewise wash your hands, which are doubtless also encrusted with bits of dried dough by this time
58
The biggest mistake people make, says Oretta, is not using enough force
59
Skip the gym the day you make pasta and make kneading your workout
60
The women of Scandriglia, where Oretta has her country house, recommend making fettuccine as a remedy for backache in preference to those boring exercises
61
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
62
If it helps to put on some music and do the maccheroni mambo as you knead, go right ahead
63
Plant your feet firmly on the floor and the heels of your hands firmly on the dough in front of you
64
A dining table will usually be a more comfortable height than a kitchen counter, which may be too high
65
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
66
Then fold it over and continue the movement, alternating hands—or whatever works for you
67
You're pushing the whole piece of dough forward, so it moves on the board
68
After each completed movement, give the dough a quarter turn and repeat
69
Keep this up for 30 minutes, or as long as you can stand
70
If you've used the food processor, 15 or 20 minutes will do
71
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
72
As you work, the dough may seem dry, but you don't want it to be wet and sticky
73
It needs just enough moisture to hold it together, not a drop more
74
If your dough is so dry that you are quite sure it will never hold together, you can add a teensy bit of water
75
(It used to be quite normal to use water to save eggs, which could be sold for cash
76
) Your goal is a single smooth loaf of dough that is not sticky to the touch
77
If the flour is either very freshly ground (hence moister) or very old (drier), you'll have to adjust by feel
78
When it feels just right—moist but not tacky, considerably drier than the average dog's nose—set it aside for a moment
79
You'll probably need to clean the board about halfway through the process
80
Use a plastic scraper or the blunt side of a large knife to scrape up any bits that have stuck to the board
81
(Sharp knives may damage your nice wooden board, and their edges are dulled by scraping
82
) Likewise wash your hands, which are doubtless also encrusted with bits of dried dough by this time
83
Resting: Once you have a beautifully silky loaf of dough, let it rest for 30 minutes to let the gluten develop
84
Wrap it in foil, or just place it on the board and invert a bowl over it until you're ready
85
By this time, you probably need to put your feet up too
86
When the dough and you have rested, you can proceed to the next stage
87
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
88
Once you have a beautifully silky loaf of dough, let it rest for 30 minutes to let the gluten develop
89
Wrap it in foil, or just place it on the board and invert a bowl over it until you're ready
90
By this time, you probably need to put your feet up too
91
When the dough and you have rested, you can proceed to the next stage
92
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