Egg-Free Pasta Dough
45m
In Italy, we have two different main pasta doughs: the egg one, used mostly in the Center and Northern Italy, and the egg-free one, from Southern Italy, made kneading just durum wheat flour (fine semolina) and water.
This last one is more firm and compact, producing pasta that cooks very well. The reason why this dough is used the most in Southern Italy is connected to the abundance of durum wheat, a cereal that grows in the Mediterranean area and prefers warmer temperatures.
Add 200 g of fine semolina to a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add 50 ml of water
Mix with a fork to incorporate the water. Add 25 ml of water and mix to obtain a wet sand crumbly texture
Add 25 ml of water and knead until the dough comes together, but is still quite crumbly. Add a little more water if necessary, but not much, or the dough will become sticky. Move it to a cutting board
Knead for 2-3m. If the dough is too hard and crumbly, add a few drops of water and continue to knead to obtain a compact, elastic, and firm dough that doesn't stick to the board
Let the dough rest covered for 30m before shaping. The egg-free pasta dough is ready
Shape it into your favorite pasta format!
Yield 2 portions
Fine Semolina
200 g
Water
100 ml