Simple Homemade Pasta

 Simple Homemade Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for dusting (About 9 oz flour)
• 3 whole large eggs
• Salt, for cooking

Equipment:

• Pasta machine
• Fork
• Bench scraper
• Baking sheets lined with parchment, a large table lined with parchment, or a pasta rack (For drying the pasta)
• Plastic wrap or Beeswrap

Instructions:

1. Place flour in a mound on your countertop. Using your hand, make a well in the flour about 5 inches across. 
2. Crack the eggs into the well, and beat them with a fork to break up the yolks. Using the fork, drag flour from the walls of the well into the egg, continuing to whisk. Continue this until the egg mixture is very thick. 
3. Use your hands to mix in the rest of the flour. Use the bench scraper to scrape  any remaining bits of dough into the main mass. A tough shaggy dough will form.
4. Set a timer for 12 minutes and knead! It will seem very difficult at first, but continue on without adding any water or oil. After 12 minutes, you will have a smooth and elastic dough. 
5. Form into a ball and wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour. After resting, flatten the dough into a disk and cut into four even wedges with the bench scraper. 
6. Remove one wedge and form it into a rough rectangle. Leave the remaining dough wrapped. Dust with a little flour on each side, and run it through the widest setting on your pasta machine (usually 0 or 1) 3 times, dusting with a small amount of flour on both sides each time. Turn the setting to 2, and run the dough through 3 more times, dusting with flour each time. Next, set it to 3, dust it again on both sides, and run it through once. Do the same for setting 4, 5, and 6. If the pasta sheet gets too long to handle easily, cut it in half with the bench scraper. (This usually happens to me after setting 5.) 
7. Dust the finished sheet again with flour on each side, and lay it out flat on the parchment to dry for 15 minutes. A dough that is too moist will not cut properly. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for each wedge of dough.
8. After the dough has dried for about 15 minutes, run it through the cutting attachment on your pasta machine. We used the wider fettuccine side. If you find that your dough is not cutting into separate noodles, chances are it is too wet. You can either dust it with a little more flour and allow it to dry longer, or instead loosely fold the sheet accordion-style and slice across the fold with a sharp knife to form noodles. 
9. Wind your cut pasta into little nests, dry flat, or hang on a pasta rack for another 15 minutes before cooking.
10. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your pasta in batches for 60-90 seconds. Toss with your favorite sauce and enjoy!

Storing Fresh Pasta: Refrigerate cut fresh pasta in an airtight container for up to 48 hours.

Makes about 4 Servings

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