How to Knead Pasta Dough
When it comes to making a pasta dish, you may feel tempted to simply grab a bag of dry pasta at your local grocer. While this solution is simple and acceptable if you are pressed for time, if you have the time, homemade pasta may be the appropriate choice. Kneading the pasta dough properly is integral to achieving pasta that is light and palatable. Kneading pasta dough does not require any special tools; all you need is your hands and the proper technique. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm to hot water. Dry your hands with a clean towel or napkin.
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Lightly flour your work surface. Place the dough on the surface and use your hands to form the dough into a ball. Allow the dough to sit for 10 minutes.
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Push the heel of your hand down on the ball of dough to begin kneading. Turn the dough one quarter and fold the dough over onto itself. Push into the dough again with the heel of your hand as if trying to push it away. Turn the dough another quarter. Fold it onto itself again and push it with your heel again. Continue this process for approximately 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and slightly elastic. As you knead, add pinches of flour to the dough as needed if it becomes too sticky.
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Divide the dough into three or four balls. Place the balls in a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic. Let it rest for 20 minutes to two hours before rolling it out.
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References
- Photo Credit Pasta swirls image by Ben Higham from Fotolia.com
