sf wrote:
>
> I made sheets of pasta last night for lasagna. Mixed the dough in my
> FP for the very first time. WOW, that was easy! Whiz the
> ingredients, pat the dough together and let it rest for 30 minutes.
> Wondering if you have an electric pasta roller or if you use a hand
> crank? I have a hand crank.

I used to have a hand crank one when I was married but the wife took
that. I've been doing by hand lately...rolling it out then cutting
with a knife. It's a bit thick but still to die for - much better than
commercial dried pasta.

G.

On Wed, 04 Jun 2014 17:11:14 -0400, Gary > wrote:

> sf wrote:
> >
> > I made sheets of pasta last night for lasagna. Mixed the dough in my
> > FP for the very first time. WOW, that was easy! Whiz the
> > ingredients, pat the dough together and let it rest for 30 minutes.
> > Wondering if you have an electric pasta roller or if you use a hand
> > crank? I have a hand crank.
>
> I used to have a hand crank one when I was married but the wife took
> that. I've been doing by hand lately...rolling it out then cutting
> with a knife. It's a bit thick but still to die for - much better than
> commercial dried pasta.
>
I plan to keep using the roller for most cases, but I will try rolling
the dough by hand after I know what I'm doing. I think #2 is a bit
too thin. Going to stop at #3 next time.

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

On 6/4/2014 4:11 PM, Gary wrote:
> sf wrote:
>>
>> I made sheets of pasta last night for lasagna. Mixed the dough in my
>> FP for the very first time. WOW, that was easy! Whiz the
>> ingredients, pat the dough together and let it rest for 30 minutes.
>> Wondering if you have an electric pasta roller or if you use a hand
>> crank? I have a hand crank.
>
> I used to have a hand crank one when I was married but the wife took
> that. I've been doing by hand lately...rolling it out then cutting
> with a knife. It's a bit thick but still to die for - much better than
> commercial dried pasta.

That's how my siblings and I were all raised to do it. Great grandma
taught her kids. Grandma taught her kids. Mom taught us. The first
cooking we were allowed to "help" with when we were little was slicing
the noodle dough. Mom would make it, rest it, roll it out, cut it into
strips, then let us slice the strips into noodles. We never realized
most families didn't make their own noodles until we mentioned it to
our schoolmates and got blank looks in reply.

My mom is now letting her great-grandchildren "help" cut noodles -
either slicing them, or using my fancy mini flower and animal cutters
to make special noodles for the little ones' soup.

Nowadays I prefer my noodles thick and chewy, so I make them with
semolina and bread flour, then roll and cut them thick. As opposed to
my popovers, which I like ultra thin and crunchy, so I make them with
bread flour and egg whites - no soft centers, all crunchy exterior.

On Thu, 05 Jun 2014 08:09:32 -0500, Moe DeLoughan >
wrote:

<snip noodles>

> As opposed to
> my popovers, which I like ultra thin and crunchy, so I make them with
> bread flour and egg whites - no soft centers, all crunchy exterior.

That's interesting! What does the bread flour do for it that AP
doesn't? Do you also use skim milk? I've only made them a couple of
times and they were fine, no soggy center, but I need to remember your
tip. Do you use the same method for Yorkshire Pudding?

--
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.

On 6/5/2014 9:57 AM, sf wrote:
> On Thu, 05 Jun 2014 08:09:32 -0500, Moe DeLoughan >
> wrote:
>
> <snip noodles>
>
>> As opposed to
>> my popovers, which I like ultra thin and crunchy, so I make them with
>> bread flour and egg whites - no soft centers, all crunchy exterior.
>
> That's interesting! What does the bread flour do for it that AP
> doesn't? Do you also use skim milk? I've only made them a couple of
> times and they were fine, no soggy center, but I need to remember your
> tip. Do you use the same method for Yorkshire Pudding?
>

Bread flour, being higher protein, will make a thinner, crispier
crust. Egg whites have a drying effect. No yolks means less fat in the
batter, which again makes for a thinner, crispier popover. And yes,
low-fat milk is a big help with that, too. Basically, the only fat in
my popovers comes from the butter, which is essential for flavor.

I never understood the appeal of eclairs and cream puffs - like
popovers, I think they're too thick and doughy. Making the same
changes - bread flour, egg whites but no yolks - makes far improved,
crisp casings for creamy fillings. And yes, Yorkshire pudding, too -
if I'm going to pour gravy over it, it's going to soften as it
dampens, so it should start out crisper.

I'm a fan of crisp and crunchy textures, so this is just my personal
preference.