A few months ago, I posted how excited I was that I cracked the code to the mythical gluten free pasta that could be made at home. However, the pasta gods had other ideas, the recipe would only be a one time success. No matter how many times I tried the recipe, it was a complete bust. With the failure came the conclusion that it wasn’t possible. I even reached out to a professionally trained chef that I was acquainted with who told me that making fresh homemade gluten free pasta was pretty unlikely. It wasn’t a surprise because it was all about structure and even I knew that’s why it wasn’t working.
I spent a lot of time with flour and chunks of failed pasta dough littered across my kitchen as though I had lost the war. I was beside myself. Maybe it is the pasta maker, I thought. Maybe because I am not a professionally trained chef I can’t do this. Perhaps my understanding of pasta making wasn’t anything more than a fantasy. Every day I wondered about it, recreated the process in my mind, and agonized over every step. Yet, I never could figure out what the hell went wrong.
Months went by without any real resolution and only that feeling that I hadn’t conquered the gluten free pasta mountain so to speak. Suddenly I felt inspired to make pasta, but I didn’t want regular pasta. I wanted to know that I could make and execute gluten free pasta. With that, back to the internet I went. My search began to turn up all the recipes that didn’t work, recipes I had seen already, and some that seemed to good to be true. Ironically, I was drawn to a recipe that said perfect gluten free pasta with two ingredients…..I had to try it for myself.
The short answer is, I made perfect gluten free pasta that had the proper texture. The long answer is, I was so skeptical that I didn’t take a single photo until I created something that resembled pasta. Even then, I kept thinking to myself that I caught lighting in a bottle. This was different, this was it.
The recipe and video are courtesy of EZ Gluten Fee and can be found here. I will admit, I wish I had come up with this recipe, but I am so happy to share this recipe that anyone can use.
Gluten Free Pasta
240 ML 1 for 1 Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour **(You can order this on Amazon.com if you don’t have any in your pantry or can’t find it at your local grocer.)
3 whole eggs
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Combine flour, eggs, and olive oil into food processor or large bowl. Mix ingredients with fork or pulse in food processor until dough begins to form. Transfer dough to a floured surface and begin to gently knead the dough together. Add a dusting of flour until the dough is no longer sticky, but is smooth and mostly dry. This may take a few minutes so stick with it. Process half the dough through your favorite pasta maker. I went to number 3 of the thinning wheels with my hand crank pasta roller. You can use a rolling pin to roll out and cut your dough as well.
Cook your pasta in heavily salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes and serve with your favorite sauce or condiment.
If you aren’t going to cook your pasta right away, place the pasta on a pasta drying rack or on a lightly floured baking sheet to dry before storing. Make sure your pasta is completely dry before you store it for later use.
I added the olive oil for a little extra flavor and moisture to the dough. This isn’t a requirement, but I think it is a nice touch.
Do not add any salt to the original dough. It turns out, according to the blog post, the salt pulls moisture and can affect the structure of the pasta dough. Therefore, just make sure you salt your pasta water accordingly so the pasta will be properly seasoned.
That is it. Fresh gluten free pasta with that proper texture and can be made in 15 minutes or less.
Stay tuned for a follow up post that will include photos at each stage of the process! Enjoy!