Step #1: Make Pasta Dough
- There are several ways to make fresh pasta dough. The food processor method is the fastest. To accomplish this, place the flour, eggs, and olive oil in a food processor that has a metal blade attached. Process to form dough, about 15-20 seconds. After removing to your work surface, cover for five minutes with an overturned bowl.
- Form dough into a ball by kneading it for one to two minutes (don’t worry about technique, the food processor takes care of most of the kneading for you), cover again, and let rest for thirty to sixty minutes to allow the gluten to relax. In the following step, use this time to set up your workstation.
Tip: No food processor? No problem. For detailed directions and a video on making pasta dough by hand, see Beginner’s Guide to Fresh Homemade Pasta Dough.
How to Dry Lasagna Noodles
Line (2) wire cooling racks with kitchen towels. Arrange semolina-dusted lasagna noodles on top in a single layer. It’s critical that there be air movement beneath the lasagna noodles. Let air-dry, at room temperature, for up to 24 hours. The exact drying time will vary according to season (i. e. faster in winter, slower in summer). When the lasagna noodles break cleanly in half, they are completely dry. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Ingredients & Equipment (You Will Need):
- Make space. To roll out the dough, you’ll need a sizable, clear surface—a kitchen table works well for this. Don’t forget this advice. Rolled out pasta sheets can measure up to 3ft. long.
- Lasagna noodles need to be thin (but not too thin!). The correct thickness is approximately . 60- 1 mm thick. Should the noodles be excessively thin, they will absorb all the sauce, resulting in a dry lasagna. If the noodles are too thick, they won’t cook properly. Fresh pasta absorbs more liquid than regular dried pasta. Remember that.
- Different pasta machines/attachments have different settings. Please follow the specific instructions that came with your pasta machine to achieve the desired thickness for your pasta dough. For example, setting #4 or #5 on the Kitchen Aid, which is recommended for lasagna noodles, is not the same thickness as setting #5 on the Marcato Atlas hand-crank pasta machine.
- Think ahead. When your lasagna noodles are ready, what will you do with them? Cook them immediately away, or freeze them for a later time? Make a plan before you start. Homemade lasagna is a project. Jump to my storage options below for ideas.
