I have had the best day today.
Today I played in my kitchen and made fresh homemade gluten free pasta. I have wanted to try and make gluten free pasta myself for a long time. Yesterday at the grocery store all I could think about for dinner was lasagna. I used to make a killer lasagna with the fresh pasta sheets you can get at the grocery store, before going gluten free. Since then I have always made my lasagna with the brown rice noodles. They tend to soak up the sauce and usually end up overcooked in the lasagna and don't reheat very well. What I really wanted for dinner tonight was a lasagna I used to make, one that was very saucy. To do this I thought I would try and make my own gluten free pasta.
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| My Dining Room Table |
It was so much easier than I thought it would be. I found a recipe online that had several reviews that seemed easy. The recipe called for differing amounts of gluten free flours, but since most of the amounts are close to what is in my all purpose mix, I changed the different flours and just used the total of my all purpose mix. I used my stand mixer because I do not own a food processor. I put the dry ingredients in the bowl of the stand mixer and mixed the eggs and oil in a measuring cup and slowly incorporated the wet into the dry while the mixer was on low speed. I had to add more water (6 Tbsp) than the recipe called for to get a smooth consistency on the dough. It took me a little bit of time to knead the dough to make it smooth, but in the end it was all worth it.
Actually rolling out the dough was a little trickier. I did have the pasta attachments for my KitchenAid stand mixer, I had received them as a bonus when I bought it and thought they would never get used (boy was I wrong). The only thing I found was if the dough got even a little bit dry, it crumbled when going through the pasta roller. Cut the dough into 8 balls instead of 4 and keep the extra ones covered with a very damp towel. This will keep them moist for rolling. Flatten the balls with a rolling pin before starting on the widest setting. Roll out until setting 4 or 5 on the attachment worked best for lasagna sheets. I did not boil the noodles, just let them dry for 30 minutes and then layered them into my lasagna.
I will definitely be trying this again. I am not sure I can go back to brown rice noodles again for lasagna.
Gluten Free Fresh Pasta Recipe
Adapted from Posting By Carol Kicinski
Ingredients
2 cups plus 3 Tbsp of all purpose gluten free flour mix
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large eggs
2-4 tablespoons water
Directions
Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade or stand mixer with paddle attachment. Pulse several times to combine. Whisk the olive oil and eggs together in a spouted mixing cup or pitcher. With the machine running, slowly add the liquid ingredients to the dry. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until it starts to form into a dough. It should be pliable and just a tiny bit sticky, not sticky enough to stick to your hands. In a stand mixer it will look crumbly, but when you press it together it forms a ball.
Scrape the dough onto a work surface and knead a few times to smooth it out. Divide into 8 equal portions and roll into balls.
Flatten one ball at a time slightly with a rolling pin to help it through the pasta rollers. Run the dough, 1 ball at a time, through a pasta roller until desired thickness is achieved or roll between two sheets of plastic wrap until very thin. The thinner the pasta is rolled, the more tender it will be. Keep the other balls covered with a damp towel to prevent drying out. If rolling by hand, flip the plastic wrap and dough over several times while rolling. Occasionally, lift the top layer of plastic wrap and replace it to help keep the dough from sticking.
Pull off the top layer of plastic wrap and cut into the desired width. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.
The pasta can be cooked immediately, laid out to dry a little (for up to an hour) or frozen. To freeze, place the pasta in an airtight container or plastic storage bag. Thaw for about 30 minutes before cooking.
To cook the pasta, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, stir a time or two to keep from sticking and cook for 2 – 5 minutes, depending on the width and thickness. Do not over cook. Serve immediately.
This gluten free recipe makes 4 servings or enough for one large 4 layer lasagna.
