Why shouldn’t you enjoy lasagna made with fresh homemade lasagna sheets? I think we can all agree that Italian food (well, most of what we know) is delicious. However, as much as we want to enjoy this delectable cuisine, it is not always easy to find a good brand of pasta at the corner shop next to us or even at the supermarket.
Sadly, in some countries (my home country included), you are likely to spend double the price for imported pasta that is half the quality of what you could find elsewhere.
That’s why I want to show you how to make your own pasta dough to make lasagna sheets, and ravioli, among many other recipes. So that you too can enjoy delicious homemade pasta.
Intimidated? Don’t be, here is what I say… if you can make chapati, roti, or other flatbread then you can definitely make your own homemade pasta with just 2 ingredients. But this isn’t just about making the pasta, it’s about getting excited about the endless possibilities of what you could do with it!
Here’s what you need to prepare homemade pasta.
Homemade Pasta Ingredients
Flour: The flour you need is 00 flour. What is this and what differentiates it from your other flour types? Well, 00 is a very finely ground flour, if you rub it between your fingers you can tell the difference.
Can you use flour that is not 00 flour? Yes, you can, try all-purpose flour.
How to Prepare Homemade Pasta Dough
Tip the flour onto your kitchen counter or working space, and make a well in the middle.
Add the eggs into the well and begin by whisking the eggs as you slowly incorporate the flour. Once it’s almost all mixed in ditch the fork and use a bench scraper to ring the dough together. Knead it for about 10 minutes until it comes together.
Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it to rest for 1 hour, no less than 30 minutes in the fridge.
Rolling the dough
Using a rolling pin: After the dough has rested, dust the working area with flour and shape the dough into a rectangle. If you’re using a rolling pin, it would be easier to portion the dough into 1/4 pieces and roll it out into a large rectangle.
(make sure you wrap the dough that you are not currently working on, with cling film).
The sheets should be so thin that you can see the silhouette of your hand as you hold it. And finally cut the homemade lasagna sheets into the desired size that fits into your casserole dish. Or use the pasta for ravioli; you could also cut them into tagliatelle or spaghetti.
Using a pasta machine: Portion the dough into 1/4’s then shape the dough (working on one at a time) into a rectangle on a generously floured surface then pass it through the pasta machine starting with the thickest setting.
Change the setting each time you pass the pasta through the machine until you reach the lowest (thin) setting.
P.S. (pasta machine setting numbers are not mentioned in this post as they will vary from brand to brand.)
Lay the sheets on a lightly floured surface until you are ready to cook them.
Here’s What to Expect While Preparing Pasta Dough
Kneading: After mixing the flour with the eggs, it may happen that it is rather tough to knead. But remember the dough doesn’t need to be soft and supple. It will come together and soften while in the resting stage.
Is it ready? How will you know if the dough is ready to be put in the fridge? Roll it into a ball and press the top using your thumb. The dough should quickly spring back, then let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
Using it: Are you ready to use your homemade lasagna sheets? Here’s a crucial tip: use a brush to dust off any excess flour before laying each sheet into the baking dish when making lasagna.
I hope you enjoyed your homemade fresh pasta. If you did, please give it a thumbs up below.
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Use Your Pasta Sheets on This Recipe
Homemade pasta
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Loading...Wherever you are, as long as you have flour and eggs. In under 2 hours, you can also have your own fresh homemade lasagna sheets.
Ingredients
- 250g 00 flour
- 2 whole eggs and 1 yolk
- TOOLS
- Useful tools (affiliated links) for this recipe:
- pasta machine
Instructions
PREPARE THE DOUGH
Tip the flour onto the kitchen counter and make a well in the middle
Add the eggs into the 'well' and begin to whisk using a fork as you slowly incorporate the flour.
Once it's almost all mixed in ditch the fork and use a bench scraper to ring the dough together. Knead it for about 10 minutes until it comes together.
Wrap the dough in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
ROLL THE PASTA
Dust your working area with flour
Shape the dough into a rectangle, then press the dough onto the flour. Roll it out enough to start passing it through the pasta machine.
Pass the dough through the pasta machine about 3 times at the initial setting, keep reducing the setting and passing the pasta through it until it reaches the thinnest setting and you are done.
You can opt to cut the pasta into spaghetti, tagliatelle or even use it for ravioli.
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