Okay these are amazing, and I am going to tell you everything I learned. So you really need Durum wheat. When it's milled on the finest setting the texture is so mild and less like a whole wheat pasta. I have made noodles with hard white wheat before and they were very dense and not as enjoyable. Durum really tasted like a normal noodle. This is what the Italians use, but it is sifted to a 00 flour. I linked the type of Durum that I bought here!
Second thing, this recipe is so simple and uses the whole egg because I don't like wasting egg whites. So the rule is 1 egg for every 1 cup of flour. And water amount is completely contingent on your climate. If you live in a humid area, you may not have to add any water.
If you live in a dry climate, you may need to add more than 4 tbsp.
This one of the quirks of fresh milled wheat. This is a dry dough. You do not want it tacky.
Third thing, dust the sheets of pasta between passes in the pasta roller.
Fourth thing, you need the dough thinner than you think. I rolled mine to a 4, and I think it tasted better on a 5. The scale starts at 1, and that is your start for that first pass. Then you move the dial to 2, and that makes it a thinner sheet. Then 3, then 4, then 5. There are instructions and recommendations for the width of your pasta sheet in the box of the pasta roller attachment. I used a kitchen aid attachment that I got off amazon and it works super well, it is linked here.
Fifth thing, you cannot skip ahead on the dials. You can't jump from 1 to 3 and skip 2. It will not stretch properly. Also it helped me move the dough through in smaller pieces. So as they get larger, cut them in half. I also figured out that it was easier to send the sheets through the roller starting with the straight edge.
Okay, now let's make noodles!
Fresh Milled Noodle Recipe
makes so much pasta, my guess is enough for 8 big eaters or 10 small eaters.
Ingredients:
5 cups durum wheat flour milled on finest setting (mill 4 1/2 cups of grain, need the extra for dusting)
5 eggs
2-4 tbsp water
1/2 tbs salt
Directions:
Mill the wheat on the finest setting. Measure out 5 cups of wheat flour and dump them on the counter. Sprinkle the salt on top of the flour. Make a well in the flour, and crack the 5 eggs into the well. Use your hands to start whisking. Break the egg yolks and begin scooping flour into the center well. Continue the slow process until all the flour is mostly combined. If it feels dry, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Knead the dough well and see how much it comes together before you add another tablespoon of water. If the dough gets too wet, you can add more flour. But you can skip the guessing if you just take your time and get a good feel for the dough. It should be firm and smooth, but not tacky at all. Form the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic or beeswax wrap, and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.
Unwrap, and cut the dough into 8 pieces. Roll the pieces into rectangles. They don't have to be super thin here. Just thin enough to make their first pass through the pasta roller.
Dust each piece of pasta dough in the extra flour on both sides. I used a cookie sheet and dumped all the extra flour on it. Pass each piece of pasta dough through setting 1. Then change the dial on the pasta roller to 2, and pass every piece through. Then change the dial to 3, pass eat sheet of pasta through again. Then repeat for setting 4. Each setting you move the dial makes the sheets of pasta thinner. I liked the texture of the fettuccini noodles on 4.
So this requires patience. If you need cooking therapy, a sweet and slow day in your kitchen, this is the time to make pasta. But if you are in a crunch and need dinner in 30 minutes...this is not the recipe.
Once they have passed through the 3/4, you then make the decision to cut your noodles. You just feed it through the fettuccini side or the angel hair side. My attachment doesn't make spaghetti noodles. So just keep that in mind. I like to dust the noodles in the pan of flour and set them in little nests.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the pasta in once the water is boiling. Boil for 4-5 minutes. 3 minutes for angel hair. They cook very fast. Give them a stir, and the noodles will float when they are about done. Drain the water, drizzle with olive oil to prevent any sticking. Serve with your sauce of choice!
I've attached a video of the process, sped up of course. I'm such a visual learner, so videos always helped me learn to do things. I hope this is helpful to you as well!
Enjoy!
- Michal