How to Make Homemade Lasagna Noodles From Scratch
Lasagna is a dish that dates back to the ancient Romans, who called it lasanum. It is mentioned in several early Latin texts, including the oldest known cookbook, "De Re Coquinaria" by Apicius, who describes it as a layering of meat, spices and "pancakes" or noodles. Today's lasagna is an Italian variation of this dish, which includes meat, tomato sauce and cheese sandwiched between layers of wide egg noodles.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups semolina flour
- Salt
- 6 eggs
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Fork
- Plastic wrap
- Semolina flour
- Rolling pin
- Knife
- Electric mixer
- Dough hook
- Pasta machine
-
Making Noodles by Hand
-
1
Combine 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 cups of semolina flour and a pinch of salt.
-
2
Sift the mixture onto a flat surface.
-
3
Create a deep hollow in the center of the pile of flour.
-
4
Crack six eggs into the hollow and add 2 tbsp. of olive oil.
-
5
Beat the eggs and oil with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour.
-
6
Knead the dough when it becomes too thick to stir with a fork.
-
7
Knead on a lightly floured surface for eight to 12 minutes until the dough is smooth, firm and dry. Sprinkle it with semolina flour whenever it becomes sticky.
-
8
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to sit for 20 to 30 minutes at room temperature.
-
9
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is very thin.
-
10
Cut into strips approximately 7 inches long and 3 1/2 inches wide.
-
11
Allow the noodles to dry for two hours.
Using a Mixer and Pasta Machine
-
1
Sift the flour and salt together into a mixing bowl.
-
2
Mix with a dough hook on low or medium speed.
-
3
Add the eggs and oil.
-
4
Mix until it is smooth and firm. Kneed by hand on a floured surface, if it is still sticky, adding semolina flour as needed.
-
5
Divide the dough into balls of an appropriate size to feed into your pasta machine. Wrap the balls in plastic wrap and let them sit at room temperature for one hour.
-
6
Set up the pasta machine on a flat surface. Sprinkle the work area nearby with flour.
-
7
Flatten each ball of dough slightly.
-
8
Flatten the end that you plan on feeding into the pasta machine.
-
9
Dust the machine with flour while the rollers are running, Coat all the surfaces that will come into contact with the dough.
-
10
Set the pasta machine to its widest thickness setting, then feed the dough through the machine.
-
11
Repeat this process, decreasing the setting each time until the dough is the desired thickness. If the length becomes unmanageable, cut it into sections and run each section through separately.
-
12
Cut the noodles into 7-inch long pieces.
-
13
Allow them dry two hours.
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1
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