Why are there holes in pasta dough when it is cold
I made some pasta dough this morning and put it in the fridge. When I ran the first batches thru the roller there were some holes in the pasta after it came out of the roller. But for later batches, when the pasta heated up from being out of the fridge, there were no more holes. Why is that? I am partially asking about the chemistry and physics underlying this observation.
Best Answer
Viscosity of the cold dough is probably too high for good rolling. It's tearing and blobbing rather than feeding smoothly through the rollers.
I'm not finding a ref for rolling, but for extrusion:
The ideal temperature for pasta extrusion is between 45 and 50°C, as anything above 50°C will denature the proteins, impeding gluten production and therefore resulting in a soft sticky product. Using a cold water jacket will cool the dough and barrel too much, resulting in undesirable dough viscosity.
Nice plot of dough viscosity vs temperatures here (fig. 4.3), but it only goes down to 30°C (86°F) Lower temperatures, including heating within the extrusion die, are likely not usually encountered.
This pasta rolling cook states:
In making pasta it is important to avoid cold so use room temperature eggs. Also, do not work on a naturally cold surface such as marble or stainless steel.
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1 Answer. Show activity on this post. Viscosity of the cold dough is probably too high for good rolling. It's tearing and blobbing rather than feeding smoothly through the rollers.Why does my pasta dough have holes in it?
So what causes pasta dough to tear and form holes when rolling? The primary reason is that the dough is not being rolled, folded and fed in properly on the correct settings of the pasta roller. If the dough is not flat enough, fed in at the wrong angle, or too fast through the roller, it can bunch up and rip.Do you refrigerate pasta dough while resting?
Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the fridge \u2013 this is an extremely important step, so don't skip it!Why do we chill pasta dough?
Wrap in cling film and chill for at least 4 hours before rolling. During this time the water will be absorbed by the flour and the gluten strands will relax, giving a strong, pliable, roll-able dough. The higher the yolk content, the more it needs to rest.Why is my pasta breaking apart when rolling?
Pasta dough needs to be well-kneaded so that the gluten is activated. Gluten holds the dough together and keeps it from breaking when rolled thin. You can knead the dough by hand or in a food processor, but the dough is too dense to knead in a stand mixer.2 ways to adjust your pasta dough.
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