Thinning and Cutting by the Easy Pasta Machine Method

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Published 1997

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Divide the ball of kneaded dough into several parts so that the pasta strips you will end up with will be of manageable size and not stretch across the room. Calculate how many eggs you have used for the ball of dough, multiply by three, and divide the dough into that many parts.

Spread clean, dry, cloth dish towels over a work counter near the machine. If you are making a large quantity of pasta you’ll need a lot of counter space and a lot of towels.

Fit the thinning rollers, the pair of smooth cylinders, into the pasta machine and set them at their largest opening. Pummel one of the pieces of dough with your palm to flatten it; then run it through the machine (photo G). Fold the dough twice, reducing its length by two-thirds, and feed it by its narrower end through the machine once again (photo H). Repeat the procedure, turning the dough back into the machine two or three times, thus duplicating hand kneading. Then lay the strip of pasta perfectly flat over a towel on the counter. Start at one end of the counter, leaving room for the strips to come.