Fresh Egg Pasta Dough

Recipe courtesy of Apples to Zucchini Cooking School

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 cups (445g) all-purpose flour
• Semolina flour for dusting
• 7 egg yolks
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 tsp (5ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• A pinch of kosher salt

Directions:

Mixing:

1. To mix the dough, you can either use a stand mixer or mix by hand.
2. If using a stand mixer, combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
3. On medium speed, add the egg yolks, whole eggs, and olive oil one at a time.
4. Mix until the dough comes together (about 2 to 3 minutes). If the dough is too dry to clump, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until it holds.
5. If mixing by hand, mound the flour on a work surface and create a wide well in the center.
6. Pour the eggs and oil into the well. Using your fingers or a fork, gradually incorporate the flour from the inner walls of the well until a paste forms, then eventually a shaggy dough.
   
   Kneading:
7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
8. Knead for about 5 minutes until the texture is silky and smooth. Stretch the dough gently with your hands; it should pull back into place when ready. Resting:
9. Shape the dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disk.
10. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
11. Let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. You can refrigerate this for up to 3 days or freeze for 3 months.
    
    Laminating:
12. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others covered so they don't dry out.
13. Flatten a piece into an oval. Set your pasta roller to the widest setting (usually 0 or 1).
14. Pass the dough through. Lightly dust with AP flour, fold it in half lengthwise, and trim about ¼ inch off the corners of the fold.
15. Pass it through the widest setting again. This "folding and cutting" creates an evenly wide, strong sheet.
16. Continue passing the dough through the roller, clicking it to a narrower setting with each pass. Reference note in ingredients.
    
    Cutting & Storage:
17. Use a knife, rolling wheel, or pasta cutter attachment to create your shapes.
    
    Short-term: Dust with AP and Semolina flour, curl Pappardelle/Tagliatelle shapes into various small nests (and not in one giant tangle) on a baking sheet, gently cover, and refrigerate for a few hours.
    
    Long-term: Freeze in a single layer on a tray. Once frozen, transfer to a zipper-lock bag (lasts 1 month). Take the pasta straight from the freezer into boiling salted water. No need to thaw!