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Yolk-Rich Egg Pasta Dough (Sfoglia all’uovo)

Yield ~4 large servings

Ingredients

  • 360g 00 flour (or good AP), plus extra for dusting
  • 40g fine semolina (or use more 00 if you don’t have it)
  • 3 large whole eggs + 5 large yolks (≈250g total), room temp
  • 8g fine salt

Make‑ahead & storage

  • Wrapped dough ball: up to 24 h in the fridge; bring to cool room temp before rolling.
  • Cut pasta:
    • Flour lightly
    • Form nests or lay on trays
    • Refrigerate 24 h or freeze up to 1 month.
    • Boil from frozen, adding ~30–45 seconds.

Instructions

Make dough

  • Whisk salt into the flours.
  • Mound on the board and make a well large enough to hold the eggs.
  • Add eggs/yolks.
  • With a fork, whisk the center while gradually pulling in flour until a thick batter forms
    • Scrape in remaining flour to make a shaggy mass.
  • Knead 8–10 minutes until very smooth and elastic.
    • The surface should look satin‑smooth.
    • A finger press should spring back in ~2 seconds.
Adjusting hydration
  • If your eggs total <240 g, sprinkle in water 1 tsp / 5 g at a time during kneading.
  • If eggs total >260 g, hold back some white or dust in small pinches of flour during kneading.

Rest

  • Roll the dough into a smooth ball.
  • Wrap the dough ball tightly in plastic wrap.
  • Let the dough sit at room temperature for 30–60 minutes.

  • Readiness cue: if a pressed dent stays for a moment before slowly filling, gluten is relaxed.

  • Troubleshooting:

    • Springy/shrinks when rolling: re‑wrap and rest 15 minutes.
    • Surface dry: lightly mist or knead in a few drops of water, re‑wrap 10 minutes.
    • Sticky: dust lightly, re‑wrap 15 minutes.
    • Very sticky: knead 10–15 sec with a pinch of flour, re‑wrap 15 minutes.

Portion (Short Fat Log Method)

  • Shape the smooth dough ball into a short, even log about 6–8" long and 2.5–3" in diameter.
  • Cut the log crosswise into 4 equal pieces.
  • Working with one piece at a time, press it into a small rectangle:
    • Target size: ~4×6" and ~½" thick (1–1.5 cm).
    • Square the edges with a bench scraper if needed.
  • Lightly dust both sides and feed the short edge into the roller on setting 1.

  • Keep the remaining pieces wrapped until their turn.

  • Troubleshooting:

    • If a piece springs back or resists, re-wrap and rest 5–10 minutes, then press again.
    • If edges crack, lightly mist and press the cracks together; rest 10 minutes before rolling.
    • If the surface is sticky, dust lightly with flour, re-wrap, and rest 5–10 minutes.
    • If the rectangle is lopsided, use a bench scraper to nudge sides square before rolling.
    • If the sheet feeds crooked, trim the leading edge square and re-feed.

Rolling

Cooking

  • Salt water to 1.0–1.5% (10–15 g per liter).
  • Boil fresh pasta 90s–2min; start tasting at 90 sec.
  • Reserve pasta water for saucing.