Petrified Pasta Noodles

To create smoothe, buttery pasta noodles, out of a scene from the movie Lady and the Tramp, only four ingredients are needed. The trick to producing perfect, silky noodles is to first create crumbly dough. You begin by shaping a well with the all-purpose flour. The purpose of the well formation dates back to traditional noodle making. A flour well was used to prevent the egg from spreading all over the counter. With a wooden spoon, the egg and water are folded into the flour mixture. Once mixed, use your hands to knead the dough. The purpose of kneading dough is to introduce water to the flour. Gliadin and glutenin proteins will expand to form gluten. Gluten is the protein in carbohydrates that gives noodles their chewy texture and elasticity. The egg is added for its glue-like properties. The Lecithin in eggs is the fatty substance that holds the flour mixture together. Since yeast is not present in pasta noodles, eggs are added for flavor and adhension. During kneading, a crumbly dough will result. 

To prevent the dough from drying out, dip your fingers into water and smoothe the dough over while kneading. In a clean bowl, cover the dough with a damp cloth to prevent to dough from drying out. The dough will sit for thirty minutes to add flavor. 

After thirty minutes, divide the dough in half and being rolling out the halves. The dough will still be slightly crumbly at this point, but rolling it out should generate a smoother finish. Remember to coat the counter and rolling pin with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Once the dough has been rolled out, lightly dust the dough with flour. Roll the dough to create a cinnimon roll look. 

With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/2 inch thick strips. The point of cutting thinner strips is to speed up the cooking time of the noodles. Bring water to a bowl and gently sprinkle in the noodles so they do not stick together. The noodles will cook in four minutes. Remove the noodles to cool before serving. 

 

McGee, A. (2005). On food and cooking, the science and lore of the kitchen. Scribner Book Company.