Emmer Wheat Pasta
Emmer wheat is wonderfully suited to pasta making with its soft nutty flavor and impressive strength for rolling thin and cutting.
Emmer Wheat Pasta
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Category
Pasta
Cuisine
Italian
Servings
3-4
Prep Time
1 hour
Cook Time
3 minutes
Emmer wheat, also known as farro, is an ancient ancestor of moderndurum, the wheat you see on the ingredient list of most storebought pasta. Compared with durum, emmer wheat berries are larger and a little nuttier in flavor, but both wheats make excellent pasta dough for rolling and extruding into different shapes of pasta. The recipe below offers two variations: 100% whole grain emmer flour and 50:50 whole grain emmer and all purpose flour, but you could pick your own ratio and try other flours too.
Ingredients
-
200 grams Arva Flour Mills Whole Emmer Flour (1 1/2 cups flour)
- 1-2 eggs
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil (7 grams)
-
1/2 tsp salt (3 grams)
- 4-6 Tbsp water (30-45 grams) depending on the egg quantity
-
100 grams Arva Flour Mills Whole Emmer flour (3/4 cup)
-
100 grams Arva Flour Mills Daisy Unbleached Hard (3/4 cup)
- 1-2 eggs
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil (7 grams)
-
1/2 tsp salt (3 grams)
- 0-3 Tbsp water (30-45 grams) depending on the egg quantity
100% Emmer Whole Grain Pasta
50% Emmer Whole Grain Pasta
Directions
Combine all the ingredients except the water in a bowl. I like to contain the mess this way, but you may prefer the traditional pile of flour on a flat surface with the liquids in the hollowed-out center.
If using a bowl, mix the dough briefly with a Danish dough whisk, then slowly drizzle in the water one tablespoon at a time. Mix in between and stop adding water when the dough has no more dry bits but is still separated.
Squeeze the damp dough together with your hand to confirm it can come together, then transfer it to a clean work surface and knead for 2-3 minutes.
Wrap the dough and rest it for 30 minutes or longer. This relaxes the gluten and makes it easier to roll out. Put the dough in the refrigerator if you want it to rest longer. Similar to pie crust, pasta dough can be made up to three days ahead.
Set a few quarts of salted water to boil at this point if you're trying to cut down on overall prep time.
When you're ready to roll out and cut the pasta dough, dust a large baking sheet or cutting board with flour or set up a pasta drying rack and make sure your work surface is clean.
If you have a large work surface (more than 20 inches wide), you can roll the dough out as one sheet. If you're using a pasta maker or have a smaller work surface, roll half or a quarter of the dough at a time. Cover any dough you're not working with.
With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a very thin sheet, keeping in mind the pasta will thicken as it boils. Flour both sides of the sheet and fold it a few times, then cut the dough into strips with a sharp knife.Toss and unfold the cut pasta as you transfer it to the drying rack or floured baking sheet.
Repeat until all the pasta is prepped.
If you haven't already done so, bring several quarts of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and stir gently. Cook the pasta for 3-4 minutes, tasting to check that it is done before you drain it. Then add sauce or other seasonings and serve.