Every time I try to make my own dough, I see videos and pictures of these perfect balls
I've been kneading for what feels like forever and have this, and it doesn't look like what a perfect ball.
Have this huge valleys and cracks, anyone help me figure out where Im going wrong.
I really want to be able to make awesome home made pasta.
by GreatKarp
6 Comments
Add a teaspoon of water and keep kneading, add more if necessary and knead some more. I knead my dough 5-10 minutes depending the portion. Then wrap in plastic wrap and rest at room temp for at least half an hour.
Looks too dry, just add some water and knead it in.
If you’re following a recipe, you should know that everyone’s flour will be different… even in terms of moisture of the flour. Recipes are fine as a rule of thumb but you should account for a bit of variation in your flour. Even if you followed the instructions right, if your dough looks wrong just make small changes e.g. like here, adding a bit of water
Water or egg.
way too dry, add water/ egg/ oil. Different flours will take different amounts of hydration, I aim for just barely tacky after the first knead/ before the rest. If it’s sticking to the pin/ counter when rolling out, just dust with flour then. Adding too much flour at the beginning will make it a pain to roll out.
I use a food processor. One egg for each person being served, then add flour one tablespoon at a time while pulsing until it comes together. I always go by texture. If it’s tacky I add a little more flour. If it’s dry, a little water. If you’re doing it by hand, again, one egg per person served then enough flour to contain them in the well. Use less flour than you think you need and add small amounts until you get a nice smooth dough. Don’t follow a recipe with specific amounts. Eggs are never the same size. Better to add flour gradually. And whatever you do… don’t over kneed. You’re making pasta, not bread.
Looks too dry. Others have recommended adding water but when it’s partially kneaded, that’s hard to do sometimes. When this happens to me, I wet my hands and continue kneading. Then repeat till the hydration level is right.