What happens to pasta dough when it is run multiple times through the machine?

What happens to pasta dough when it is run multiple times through the machine? - Crop unrecognizable chef preparing spaghetti from uncooked dough with flour using pasta rolling machine in kitchen

Before, when I made fresh pasta, the dough would become a little "brittle" and was hard to work through the thinner settings of my pasta machine. Then I saw a tip on a cooking show to put the dough through the thickest setting several times (about 6 to 8 times), each time folding it onto itself.

The reason given in the show for the tip was that it would improve flavor/texture of the cooked pasta. However, it felt to me as if the dough became easier to handle (less "brittle") as well.

My question: what happens to pasta dough when you run it through the machine on thickest setting multiple times?

Some research I did before asking (that didn't give me an answer yet):

  • Remembering it may have something to do with gluten, I read through the Wikipedia article on gluten. It does mention elasticity in the "bread" subsection, perhaps the same thing is at work here?
  • Searching this Stack Cooking site I found this highly upvoted answer which mainly mentions gluten's effect on "elasticity" in the context of "chewiness", but doesn't related it to how well the dough can be handled.
  • Of course I tried to Google the answer, but that mainly results in recipes for fresh pasta.


Best Answer

You're alluding to the correct answer: running it through several times basically kneads the dough and develops gluten.

Gluten provides strength to dough. It forms a flexible, elastic 'net' (the 'net' portion isn't really relevant to pasta dough though) , allowing it to stretch more and is much, much less brittle. Even better, would be to put it through several times, then let it rest for a few minutes so that the gluten relaxes and then continue.

You could also simply knead the dough longer. Many pasta doughs are extremely dry and very difficult to knead by hand - so the kneading mainly happens at the roller stage. If you're using a good mixer or feeling especially hulk-like, then you could knead further by hand.




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What happens to pasta dough when it is run multiple times through the machine? - Crop unrecognizable ladies standing near table and whipping flour with egg for recipe on cutting board at home
What happens to pasta dough when it is run multiple times through the machine? - Happy kind ethnic senior female hugging cute grandson having breakfast in kitchen while active little granddaughter running behind table



Why is it important to roll the dough several times through the pasta maker?

By rolling it through a pasta machine several times you're actually helping the gluten to develop even further and structure into nice flat sheets. You can also do it by hand, but a pasta roller really is a lot easier for making those very thin smooth sheets.

What happens if you overwork pasta dough?

A well-kneaded dough is stretchy and elastic to work with, but also tender and delicate when you bite into it after cooking. Overworked dough, on the other hand, feels tight and tough. This is because kneading the dough too much will cause damage to the gluten molecules, which give it its elasticity.

How many times should the pasta go through the rollers?

Starting with one of the narrower, open sides of the folded dough, feed the pasta through the machine, again at the widest setting. Repeat the folding and rolling technique on the widest setting for a total of five times.

How many times is it recommended to put the pasta through the pasta machine?

Flatten the pasta dough into a circle and pass through the pasta machine on the thickest setting 3 times. This will make the dough spread out to fill the full width of the machine. 2. Fold the pasta dough into thirds, then flatten it , and pass through the machine again.



2 ways to adjust your pasta dough.




Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Klaus Nielsen, Klaus Nielsen, Katerina Holmes, Alex Green