Anyone with a KitchenAid pasta extruder attachment will tell you the same thing — the KitchenAid pasta dough recipe to use in the extruder sucks. I tried it myself and after the first big failure with the machine, I didn't play with it for awhile. Then I realized that surely there is a way to make decent dough, and there are many recipes online for such doughs. I spent time making dough from all of them and this pasta dough recipe is the best.
Extruded pasta dough is different
The thing is, different shapes and final uses for the pasta call for slightly different amounts of water and egg versus flour. You can't expect extruded tubes to perform the same as compact spaghetti. The tubes need more structure to help them hold their shapes so you're not just eating mashed together tubes that didn't cook all the way through and are semi-raw, semi-cooked, and totally gross. This recipe below works for all extruder shapes that come with the KitchenAid attachment.
That being said, there is a finesse that comes with pasta making and it has everything to do with humidity. One exact amount of water might be perfect in winter, but far too much for August in South Carolina. This is the one thing that makes people hate dough based projects — it just takes some failing and trying again to learn what the proper dough feeling is. Luckily, we have blogs like this where we can see someone's hands interacting with the dough to get a better feel of how it should spring back, and how sticky it is on their hands. This is a great way to get an idea of what you're aiming for.
What should pasta dough look like?
The dough for extruded pasta needs to be on the crumblier side. The last thing you want it for it to be too tacky and get stuck in the crevices you'll never be able to see in the extruder casing. This photo best shows what I mean.
Interestingly, I found out last time I extruded is that even though the dough is dry and crumbly when its fed into the machine, its time going around the auger (the plastic corkscrew part) makes it a little more supple and warm. That's how it comes out looking and feeling like normal pasta! I learned this because I was having an auger problem and had to pull a huge chunk of dough out from that section, and was surprised at the textural transformation!
What is semolina flour?
Semolina flour is becoming more ubiquitous, it's even available in my nearby plain grocery store. You should have little to no problem finding it at any grocery store with a reasonably sized Bob's Red Mill section. Or just buy semolina flour online and have it delivered to you. Semolina flour is coarsely ground wheat durum. It has a protein content of 13% (all purpose flour has a protein content of 8-11%, for reference).
Can you substitute it in this recipe? Well, no. You can still make pasta in the extruder without it, but it's going to end up blander and not as durable. In fact, semolina flour is made of wheat durum, and durum = durable. The semolina flour is there to give your pasta some structure, which it needs to hold the tube shapes. If you don't have semolina flour, get some semolina flour and don't waste your eggs on this recipe without it.
Pasta Dough for the KitchenAid Pasta Extruder Attachment
Equipment
- KitchenAid pasta extruder attachment
- KitchenAid stand mixer
- Kitchen scale
Ingredients
- 7 oz semolina flour
- 7 oz all purpose flour
- 4 eggs
- 1-2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Weigh the flours separately using a kitchen scale for accuracy.
- Pour the flours into the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the dough hook attachment to combine for a minute.
- Whisk all four eggs together in a separate bowl. Turn the mixer on to the 2 speed and slowly pour in the eggs. Also add 1 tablespoon of water. Let it mix for about 1-2 minutes.
- Turn off the mixer and try to use your hands to bring the dough into a ball. If it is still very crumbly, add the additional tablespoon of water and continue to mix, either using the dough hook or your hands, at this point. The dough should still be kind of crumbly, but you should be able to get at least ¾ of the whole mixture formed into a rough ball. You do not want supple, wet dough here. If the humidity in your house is high (like if it's summertime, raining, or both, you may not need the second tablespoon of water. If the humidity is very low, you may need to wet your hands when kneading into a ball shape to add just a bit of extra water.
- Once kneaded into a rough but still crumbly textured ball, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Set up the extruder attachment with your pasta shape of choice. Roll the rested dough into walnut sized balls and follow the manufacturer's directions to extrude the pasta onto a floured cookie sheet or cutting board.
- When you're ready to cook the pasta, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Salt the water generously, and cook the pasta for 3 minutes, or until it's floating to the top. Strain the pasta, preferably using a spider strainer, and sauce as desired.
I am no pasta dough expert but I've tried several variations. What works best for me for extruded pasta made with this KitchenAid attachment is this dough. It may work in other extruders too. As for if this recipe works for pasta made in the pasta roller, no. This dough is meant to be crumblier for a reason. The dough needed for the pasta roller attachment needs to be smoother and more supple from the get go.
Consider humidity when making pasta
As you make more pasta dough, you'll become attuned to how it feels, and when more water needs to be added (or not) with the changes in humidity. Pasta made in the winter may need a tiny bit more water to come together. Pasta made in a humid climate at the height of August during a rainstorm may need a little less. Though the humidity in your house is different than outside, if you don't have an indoor humidity meter, gauge it by the weather forecast. You will get the hang of it, and the best part is that if you overdo it too much one way, add a little more flour, or a little more water to get the dough back into the right shape for extruding.
Can you refrigerate pasta dough?
As an experiment, I wrapped up half of my dough in plastic wrap and refrigerated it. After letting it rest on the counter for about half an hour, it was as easy to use as the day before, if not a little more! So YES, you can refrigerate your dough to use for later, but only for another day. It may dry out after much longer.
What's the best pasta shape?
One of my favorite noodle shapes from the extruder is the bucatini, a hollow, long noodle that's a cross between spaghetti and elbow macaroni. Just think of it as spaghetti's fancier cousin, and pair it with a butter-based or creamy sauce, mmmm. But that's just my favorite!
Other people love this pasta recipe
People will often email or DM me on Instagram to thank me for this recipe! Check out these testimonials from happy pasta eaters!
Regarding alternative flours for pasta
I cannot say if any other flour works here. Since I do not cook gluten-free, I haven't tried. I don't know if chickpea flour, or any other gluten-free flour will work. But I would not recommend whole wheat pasta either. It will make the dough too tough too pass through the already hard-working extruder.
Want some pasta recipes?
