Is great gluten-free extruded pasta possible?
I'm gluten intolerant and tempted to have a go at producing my own pasta. Does it make sense to use an extruder attachment for a kitchen machine to produce e.g. rigatoni or fusilli, or will this never match the quality of store-bought dry pasta?
I remember with horror the first commercially available packs of gluten-free pasta, which were brittle and slimy when cooked. Luckily most manufacturers have now improved their recipe. Can I recreate - or even improve - their result at home, or would one need the high pressures and precise temperature control of commercial machines for this?
I would be extremely grateful for some honest opinions of people who've actually eaten home-made extruded gf pasta before I invest in a dedicated attachment. (Possibilities are Kenwood AT936 or AT910 - any shared experience with those would also be very welcome, along with good recipes).
If pasta rollers are sooo much better, I can of course make do with tagliatelle...
Many thanks in advance!
Edit in response to Joe (thank you!): Extruders appeal to me, because I suspect that the real value of pasta rollers is to develop the gluten - and that's obviously superfluous in gf pasta. The difference between wheat or no-wheat dough should be less obvious when using extruders - unless you really need the high pressure of commercial machines.
Best Answer
I have never used extruders, but I make a lot of tagliatelle using my pasta roller. I expect extruders to not be as easy to use with gluten free pasta (please correct me if I'm wrong), as the gluten free dough is shorter than normal pasta dough.
The pasta roller doesn't really change the dough too much with gluten free pasta, as you say a big thing is to develop the gluten, so it's mainly to get the correct shape. One thing with gluten free pasta is that the resting period is really important, if it doesn't rest long enough you will end up with a dough that is impossible to work with.
Pictures about "Is great gluten-free extruded pasta possible?"
Why is gluten-free pasta so mushy?
Gluten-free pasta has a tendency to get gummy, mushy, or stick together if it's cooked for too long or too short.Is there such a thing as gluten-free pasta?
For the uninitiated, there are two kinds of gluten-free pastas: ones made from things like corn and rice flours that closely resemble wheat-based pasta, and the ones marketed as healthy alternatives to wheat-based pasta and made from things like chickpeas and red lentils.Why is gluten-free pasta so slimy?
As gluten-free pasta is heated in water, the starch granules start to become less rigid and absorb water, making them expand. The starch granules eventually burst after they've absorbed too much water, releasing starch molecules into the water and making the pasta sticky.Why does gluten-free pasta fall apart?
Gluten-free pasta has a tendency to (be): Starchier than wheat pasta, as gluten-free flour has a different density than all-purpose flour. This can lead to the pasta clumping together. Mushier, fall apart, and/or not hold its shape when not cooked al dente.What Kind Of Flour To Use For Extruded Pasta?
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Sam Lion, Sam Lion, Tatiana Syrikova, Tatiana Syrikova