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A dough that dissolves readily?

depiccfx's picture
depiccfx

A dough that dissolves readily?

This may sound somewhat odd but I'm looking for a dough that will dissolve readily in water. "What?," you ask, "is going on here?" Background: I want to create a "sacrificial dough" to clean my pasta machine dies. These are bronze plates with variously shaped holes through which the pasta dough is forced under great pressure in order to extrude the finished product. Trouble is, after finishing the process there is dough remaining in the die (usually some form of durum or other wheat-based flour combined with water, eggs, etc.) It's virtually impossible to clean the die without damaging it. Toothpicks, etc. just don't get the job done very well (they're not simple holes in the die, but oddly shaped tunnels). One solution is to simply store the die submerged in water until the next use (and discard the first inch or so of the newly extruded pasta). This is okay, I guess, if you're using the die every day but not really satisfactory for the occasional user. Another solution (all gotten from internet searches) is to use a Waterpik: too messy. Another solution I came across is to create a "sacrificial dough" -made from rice flour and starch - to displace the pasta dough. I tried this and it worked - sort of. I ran a "dough" made from rice and cornstarch through the die - just enough to displace the pasta dough - but still had to work hard to clean out the "sacrificial dough" (lots of toothpicking and high-pressure washing). SO, here's my question: is there a dough that is malleable enough to force through the die and then dissolve readily in water? I'm sorry for the long-winded explanation but I thought some background would help you understand what I'm looking for. Thanks, ever so much!

DanAyo's picture
DanAyo

Wished I had the perfect answer for you. It seems that a flour with no gluten would be your best route. Maybe extremely low in hydration.

Let us know your solution.

Dan

clazar123's picture
clazar123

Rather than starch, would using a white rice meal (coarsely ground or cracked rice) either dry or with water form a scrubbing slurry that would clean the orifices?  Then the first part of the pasta dough run through the next time would have to be sacrificed to push out any dried residue that would hopefully be less stuck than a paste.

Is your pasta sticky? Would resting the dough for a short period before extruding reduce the residue left in the machine?

Does the machine manufacturer have any recommendations?

depiccfx's picture
depiccfx

To answer the question of whether the manufacturer has any recommendation: they recommend that the dies are stored under water until the next use. This might be acceptable for daily use but just bothered me (and many others, I'm sure) who only use them intermittently. I did come up with a solution, however. I fabricated a device utilizing PVC fittings that essentially creates a "nozzle". After soaking the die overnight a quick use (watering my garden, of course) produces a perfectly clean die. Surprising no one seems to have done this already.

I apologize for all this material that is not even related to bread and baking but I wanted to follow up. By the way, I am also a long-time bread baker and love The Fresh Loaf. I've gotten much invaluable information here!

DanAyo's picture
DanAyo

Even though this is an old post, the information may help others that happen upon this post.

In the past I have had a miserable time rolling out and cutting pasta in my hand operated machine. The pasta was sticky and made cleanup a chore.

3 suggestions

  1. This is the most important - mix your pasta dough dry. It should never be sticky in the least.
  2. Sprinkle sheets (front and back), and also cut pasta liberally with flour to keep from sticking.
  3. I disassembled my machine and removed all unnecessary shields. This made cleanup much easier.

When pasta is made properly, cleaning the machine is very simple and generally requires only a light brushing to remove flour dust.