Egg Yolk Dough
Prep time: 45 minutes
Makes about: 1 Pound (454 g) enough for about 4 sheets of pasta, 5 to 6 inches long, rolled to a thickness of 1/32 inch.
This is a basic, fresh pasta dough and the most common form of fresh pasta in Italy. It can be used to make various kinds of pasta that are rich, tender, and chewy. I would recommend using Tipo 00 flour instead of King Arthur unbleached bread flour if possible but these ingredient amounts have only been tested with King Arthur. I’m currently located where Tipo is not easy to find.
Ingredients
1¼ cup, plus 2 tablespoons (170g) King Arthur unbleached bread flour
7 tablespoons (55g) Durham flour
9 egg yolks
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
Preparation
Combine the two flours in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or mix flours together with your hands on a flat work surface. Make a well in the center of your flour and use a medium speed on your mixer or your fingers to combine, as you add the egg yolks, oil and, water.
Add one ingredient at a time, mixing just until the dough comes together, about 2 to 3 minutes. You can add a little more water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it until it is smooth, about 5 minutes.
Knead in an additional bit of flour if necessary if the dough is too sticky. The dough is ready if it gently pulls back into place when you stretch it.
Shape the dough into a ball and flatten the ball into a disk.
Cover the dough with a hand towel and set it aside for 30 minutes.
Rolling the Dough
To roll out the dough, cut it into four equal pieces. Let the pieces sit covered at room temperature for 10 minutes if chilled, the dough should be cool but not cold.
Shape each piece into an oval wide enough to fit the width of your pasta roller. Lightly flour your work surface and set the pasta roller to its widest setting. Lightly flour one piece of dough and pass it through the roller, lightly dust the rolled dough with flour, brushing off the excess with your hands, and pass the dusted dough through the widest setting again.
Set the roller to the next narrowest setting and pass the dough through it, dusting again with flour and brushing off the excess. Pass once again through the roller. Fold the dough in half lengthwise over itself and cut about 1/4 of an inch off both corners at each fold. This folding and cutting help keep your dough sheet evenly wide.
Continue passing the dough once or twice through each narrower setting. As you roll each sheet, it will get longer and more delicate. Use a pasta drying rack to drape your sheets while you continue rolling to help keep your work surface free and clean.
To cut your pasta, lay it out on a lightly floured work surface and use a cutting wheel or knife to cut the appropriate size noodles.
Note: If you do not want to use the dough immediately, you can wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the dough for up to 3 months. (Thaw overnight in the fridge before using it.) If you are not using the cut noodles immediately, you can refrigerate them for a few hours or freeze them for up to 1 month. Transfer the frozen pasta straight to boiling pasta water when you are ready to use it.
