Fresh Pasta Producing and Cooking
I've been experimenting with fresh pasta recently. My latest recipe was 1 part semolina, 1 part durum, 2 parts 00 Farina.
I use 1 egg per 100 grams of flour, pinch of salt and adjust the consistancy with warm water.
I machine knead using a kitchen aid and folding between 6-8 times before rolling.
So I have two questions. When making fresh pasta, is it best to let it dry out slightly at room temperature before freezing and holding it or should I just freeze it right away. I feel like a good 30 minute dry at room temp would help stop the dough from over hydrating.
2.) Whenever I read about cooking fresh pasta from either novice or professional, timings suggest 2-3 on average. Rarely more and never less. However, everytime I've made and cooked fresh pasta it is ALWAYS over cooked by the one minute mark. The last time I made it I cooked it with a 30 second timer, finished it in the sauce for about 2 minutes and it came out perfect. I understand that it doesnt matter if it takes 30 seconds to cook or 10 minutes, if it's al dente it's al dente. But WHY? Why is it only taking 30 seconds to cook....am I over hydrating my dough? Am I not kneading enough? I don't get it.
Any suggestions would be appreciated. It's quite difficult find some really high quality videos or blogs talking about making fresh pasta in an artisinal manner so if anyone has any I would appreciate it if you shared.