Directions for Making Pasta in a KitchenAid Mixer

Your family and friends can enjoy fresh pasta at home.

Making fresh pasta at home can seem like a treat. It also can be healthier, since you will know exactly what is in your pasta. It used to take a lot of work to make pasta and would be a messy process. The KitchenAid mixer, designed to be a professional mixer in a home kitchen, allows you to make many different dishes with ease, including pasta. While the mixer doesn't come with the pasta roller attachment, you can purchase one separately. Using the pasta roller attachment can save you hours of work and pasta you would be proud to show your family and friends.

Things You'll Need

• Flour
• Eggs
• Salt
• Olive oil
• KitchenAid mixer
• Mixing bowl
• Dough hooks
• Plastic wrap
• Pasta roller attachment
• Knife

Instructions

1. Add the flour, eggs, salt and water to the mixing bowl.

2. Mix the ingredients together using the dough hooks, with the KitchenAid mixer set on a Speed 2 until they are thoroughly incorporated.

3. Knead the dough by pulling it apart and folding it over itself. You can do this directly in the bowl or on a floured work surface, like a counter. Continue to knead the flour until dough is smooth and elastic. If the dough sticks to your hands while kneading, sprinkle it with a little flour.

4. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. You can cover the top of the bowl completely if you prefer.

5. Allow the pasta dough to sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours to rise. If you are going allow it to rise for more than 30 minutes, place the bowl into the fridge.

6. Attach the pasta roller attachment to your KitchenAid mixer.

7. Cut the dough into sections about 3/8 of an inch thick. Flatten each piece slightly.

8. Set the adjustment knob on the roller to 1. Turn the KitchenAid mixer on to either speed 2 or 4.

9. Feed one section of dough into the pasta rollers. Fold the dough in half and feed it through again. Continue doing this until dough is soft and pliable. If needed, lightly dust the dough with flour.

10. Switch your roller to setting 2 and feed dough through the rollers to flatten it. Repeat this, changing the setting to a higher number each time until your pasta reaches the desired thickness. KitchenAid recommends setting 3 or 4 for egg noodles; 4 or 5 for lasagna, fettuccine, spaghetti or ravioli; 6 or 7 for tortellini, thin fettuccine or linguine fini; and setting 8 for any type of angel hair pasta.

11. Repeat Steps 9 and 10 on each section of the pasta until all of the pasta is the desired thickness.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use different types of flour and spinach in your pasta if you prefer. Follow the amounts listed in your recipe.

• Always turn off your KitchenAid Mixer while not in use to protect against accidents.

References

• KitchenAid: Pasta Roller Use and Care Guide
• "How To Cook Everything"; Mark Bittman; 2008