This dough can be a little tricky to get the hang of. Only for the simple fact that the only liquid in this dough is egg. So, sometimes people get worried that the dough is too dry. I promise you, if you work it until the dough is smooth, it will be the best dough.
Once this dough is cooked up, it is luscious and silky. Letting this dough rest is key to helping in the hydration. It is also super helpful to make sure that you are using large eggs, this way you will have the same measurements each time.
Why pappardelle pasta?
Pappardelle pasta is such a simple and versatile pasta. This pasta is great with many different types of sauces. You can enjoy it with light, olive oil based sauces with vegetables or even ricotta. Yet, this pasta also holds up amazing with hearty, rich braised meat sauces as well.
This pasta is easy to shape and can even be a great pasta to make with the kiddos. You can even make this pasta even if you do not have a pasta rolling machine. It will be easier to roll out the dough with a machine, but it can very easily be rolled out with a rolling pin as well.
What is my favorite sauce for pappardelle pasta?
I love a rich and thick ragu with this pasta. Especially in the colder winter months. Yet, if you ask my kiddos, they love pappardelle with just a little olive oil, Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper.
Here is my favorite pork ragu to go with this pappardelle pasta.
Chef’s Tips
For this recipe my biggest tip is to trust the recipe and trust the process. Even if you feel like it is too dry, keep kneading it and it will come together. Also, let it rest, make sure you let it rest to hydrate the dough to it’s fullest. If you can make this the night before, do it. This dough needs at least 30 minutes to rest to get the perfect consistency.
If you are using a machine to roll it out, always use the widest setting(usually 0, I believe on 1 on the kitchen aid one) first and then fold the pasta over and use the widest setting again. This will help make it easier to make a nice rectangle with the dough as well as set you up for ease when rolling the rest of the numbers.
Pappardelle Pasta
Ingredients
- 400 grams 00 flour about 3 cups spoon leveled
- 4 whole large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Put the flour into a large metal bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour. In a separate bowl, crack the four eggs into the small bowl.
- Separate the last egg so that you are just using the yolk. Save the whites for another use. Add the egg yolk to the whole eggs. Lightly give them a little scramble.
- Carefully add the eggs into the center of the well. Using a fork at first, pull the flour into the eggs little by little. Slowly incorporating all of the flour into the eggs. This will give you a light, shaggy dough. Once you have the shaggy dough, ditch the fork and get in with your hands.
- Slowly combine the eggs fully into the flour. Make a ball with all of the flour mixed into the eggs. The dough will be slightly dry at this point, but will be yellowish in color and come together. At this point, remove it from the bowl and knead it for about 5-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth and the flour is completely mixed into the eggs. At this point you will wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to over night.
- Once the dough has rested, unwrap it and cut it into 4 sections. This will make it easier to work with. Using one section at a time, flatten the dough so that you can put it through your pasta machine. If you are rolling it by hand, you will roll it to about 1/8" thick and then cut it into strips. If you are using the machine, you will use the widest setting first, usually 0 and then roll the dough through it. Fold it over and square it off, then roll on 0 again. Then start to move the numbers up one at a time until you roll 1 time each up to the number 5 or 6. Depending on how thick or thin you wish your pasta to be.
- After the dough is rolled out, if the piece is very long, you can cut it in half. Then you will cut 1/4 or 1/2 inch strips lengthwise to make your "rags" or your pappardelle pasta. Lightly toss it in some semolina flour and lay it out on a sheet pan or roll it into nests on your sheet pan. Continue with the other 3 sections. At this point you can cook it in boiling water immediately or you can let it dry on the try for up to 24 hours. Then you can pack it up and store it dried for up to 1 week.
- When cooking the pasta, salt your water heavily and make sure you watch the time. Fresh pappardelle pasta only takes about 3-5 minutes to cook. Finish it in your favorite sauce and enjoy!
