Pasta dough is composed of, at a minimum, flour and liquid. The types and ratios of flour and liquid used will influence the flavor and texture of the final dough. Extruder dough will have a lower moisture. Hand formed pasta are best made using a durum wheat flour.
Other things to consider when making a dough are the amounts and sources of fat and salt. Salt gives a dough stronger gluten and fat makes a dough more tender. When pairing a dough recipe with a shape and sauce, it is helpful to consider the dough’s ingredients. The table below breaks down the different ingredients and how those ingredients affect the final dough.
For more information on each ingredient, please refer to the other notes
Herbs, Spices and Other Additions
| Ingredient | What it does |
|---|---|
| Durum Wheat Semolina and semola rimacinata | Helps a dough holds its shape (plasticity); provides bite and chew |
| Soft wheat 00 flour and all-purpose flour | Helps a dough stretch (elasticity); makes a dough soft and tender |
| Whole Grains Einhorn, spelt, emmer, rye, etc | Depending on the flour and freshness, can make a dough drier and require more hydration; imparts nuttiness and character |
| Gluten-Free Flours Chestnut, chickpea, fava, buckwheat, rice | Lacks elasticity and makes a dough more delicate; high in starch and requires more hydration to become pliable; affects flavor |
| Liquid Water, eggs, wine, milk, vegetable purees | Makes a dough elastic and springy; can impact color; water from vegetables can make egg-based doughs softer, while vegetable fibers can make water-based doughs drier |
| Fat Egg yolks, olive and other oils, butter, shortening, lard, cream | Makes a dough delicate and tender; a high concentration of fact can make a dough firmer in its raw state (particularly egg yolks and butter) |
| Salt | Tightens a dough by strengthening its gluten |
This video Making the Dough by Epicurious is a thorough video on how to combine the ingredients and knead the dough together. You can tell how the texture changes while kneading. You will knead for about 5-10 minutes, but do not worry about over-kneading. While over-kneading can be an issue when baking bread and cookies, it is not a concern for making pasta.
Pasta dough should be pliable and smooth but also have resilience and spring. When you press it with your finger, it should rebound slightly. When making dough, you can make adjustments as needed based on the texture of the dough. If it is sticky, it needs more flour dusted to the outside and worked into it. If it is dry and tough, then add a slight amount of flour. I have found that wetting my hands and then kneading it helps to work it into the dough. Rewet hands as needed based on how the dough responds. While the recipes have precise weights and measurements, adjustments may need to be made based on weather/humidity or some differences in egg sizes.
Once the dough has been sufficiently kneaded, it needs to rest (use the table below for suggested rest times). While resting, the gluten is given time to further develop and for the dough to more fully hydrate.
| Dough Type | Suggested Rest Time |
|---|---|
| Durum Wheat and Water | 20 to 30 minutes |
| Soft Wheat and Water | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| Egg | 30 minutes or up to 2 hours if rolling by machine or at least 1 hour if rolling by hand |
| Gluten-free and gnocchi | None |
Certain doughs work better or are traditionally paired with certain shapes and sauces. The dough recipes found in the Doughs section aims to include recommendations for these pairings.