Homemade Saffron Pasta Recipe
Ingredients:
2 ¼ cup ‘00’ pasta flour
1 ½ cup semolina flour
1 ½ tablespoon salt
¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
14 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
¼ cup warm water
Pinch of saffron
Directions:
- Add a pinch of saffron to warm water and let it bloom before beginning the dough. You can omit the saffron from the recipe if necessary.
- Combine the flours and salt in the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer. Add eggs, oil, and saffron water. Using a dough hook attachment, turn the mixer on low speed and knead for up to 15 minutes. If the dough is too wet and sticking to the dough hook, add a tablespoon of '00' flour or semolina at a time until the dough releases easily from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too dry, add one tablespoon of water at a time until the dough comes together.
- Once the dough is smooth and firm, remove it from the mixer and wrap it in plastic. Let the dough rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes if you are planning to use it immediately. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The dough can also be cut into quarters, wrapped in plastic, and frozen for up to 3 months.
- Make sure you have ample space before beginning to roll out the dough. If the dough becomes too long for your counter space, cut it into manageable lengths and set the excess aside. Have some extra flour ready, as well as a tray with flour to catch the finished noodles.
- Have salted, boiling water ready to cook the pasta. If the pasta is left out for too long, it can stick together.
- When ready to use the dough, cut it into quarters and wrap each piece individually in plastic to prevent it from drying out. Using a rolling pin, roll the quarter piece of dough out to about 1/8 inch thick and a width no greater than the width of the pasta roller, usually about 4 inches. Be sure to sprinkle flour onto your dough before starting to feed it through the machine. If it is too wet or humid, it could stick to your cutters and jam the machine.
- Carefully feed the dough through the pasta roller on the thickest setting. Do this twice to ensure the dough is consistent. Turn the pasta roller to the next thinnest setting and feed the dough through the roller. Continue to feed the dough through (sprinkling with flour if necessary) while moving one setting thinner until you reach level 5 (when using a KitchenAid brand pasta roller). The dough will be very long now, up to 6 feet.
- Using a dough knife or a regular knife, cut the dough into 8-inch pieces. Switch your attachment to a noodle cutter and carefully feed the dough through.
- Lay your noodles out on the tray lined with flour. Be sure to cut all of your dough and coat it generously with flour.
- Once you're done cutting, drop your pasta into the boiling water and let it cook at a boil for about 60 seconds.
- Pour the water out through a strainer to catch your pasta. Serve with olive oil or your favorite pasta sauce.
