She Strengthens

The Art of Crafting Exquisite Pasta: A Step-by-Step Guide

At Flour + Water restaurant in San Francisco, Chef Thomas McNaughton has perfected the art of creating delicate, northern Italian-style ravioli dough. This recipe, aptly named “rav dough,” combines Italian “00” flour, whole eggs, egg yolks, and extra-virgin olive oil to produce a lithe, silken, and firm pasta perfect for ravioli, tortelloni, and other filled shapes.

Understanding Italian “00” Flour

Italian “00” flour is not a type of wheat, but rather a measure of the fineness of the grind in the milling process. This super-fine flour contains only the endosperm and is typically milled from soft wheat. For this recipe, we recommend using the Antimo Caputo brand, available online.

The Recipe

Yield: 556 grams (20 ounces) of dough
Difficulty: Hard
Total Time: 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes to 6 hours resting time
Active Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 360 grams (2 packed cups, unsifted) “00” flour
• 5 grams (1 teaspoon) kosher salt
• 100 grams (1/2 cup, or about 2 large) eggs
• 90 grams (1/3 cup, or 5 to 6) egg yolks
• 6 grams (1 1/2 teaspoons) extra-virgin olive oil

Step 1: Mixing

Create a mound of flour on a dry, clean work surface, and sprinkle salt over the middle. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, create a well in the center of the flour. Carefully add eggs, egg yolks, and olive oil into the well. Gently beat the eggs with a fork, incorporating the flour “walls” into the egg mixture. As the dough starts to take on a thickened, pastelike quality, slowly incorporate the flour on the bottom of the well. Use a spray bottle to liberally spritz the dough with water, helping any loose flour stick to the dry dough ball.

Step 2: Kneading

Kneading is essential to develop the protein structure of the dough. Drive the heel of your dominant hand into the dough, pushing down and releasing, then rotating the dough 45 degrees. Repeat this process for 10 to 15 minutes, until the dough stops changing appearance and texture. The dough should be firm but bouncy to the touch, with a smooth, silky surface. Tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap.

Step 3: Resting

At this stage, the flour particles continue to absorb moisture, further developing the gluten structure. If using the dough immediately, let it rest at room temperature, wrapped in plastic, for at least 30 minutes prior to rolling it out. If resting for more than 6 hours, refrigerate the dough. It’s best to use fresh dough within 24 hours.

Step 4: Rolling

Rolling is the final phase of the mixing process. Slice off a section of the dough, and flatten it enough to fit into the widest setting of the pasta machine. Guide the dough quickly through the slot, decreasing the thickness setting by one and repeating. Once the dough has gone through three times, it should have doubled in length. Lay the dough on a flat surface, and use a rolling pin to measure the ideal width of the pasta sheet. Fold the pasta over, creating at least four layers, and secure them together with the rolling pin. Put the dough back in the machine, rolling it out two to three times on each setting at a steady, smooth pace. Once rolled out, immediately form the dough into the desired shapes.

By following these steps and using high-quality ingredients, you’ll be able to craft exquisite pasta that’s sure to impress. Happy cooking!