It’s summer in Seattle! Well, it’s summer-ish. The sun is shining, the skies are blue, it’s 85 degrees, and…this weekend, it will be cool and rainy again. But even our “cool” is going to be 60, so at least we’re on the right track.
What better way to celebrate summer showing up than to spend the better part of a day testing different ways to make gluten free pasta? I finally settled on this recipe, which worked really well in every way, and the surprise (to me) ingredient: almond flour.
I tend to think of almond flour as a cake flour, or something to bread chicken in, but never thought it had the right properties for making pasta. I was wrong!
There are great step by step instructions and photos on the original recipe blog, but I’m just doing a quick copy/paste here, mostly so I can find it again easily.
Ingredients:
– 2/3 cup arrowroot powder (plus extra for kneading)
– 1 cup almond flour (I use Honeyville brand)
– 1 cup tapioca flour (make sure to find a brand that is gluten-free, some brands sneak in wheat products!)
– 2 tsp. sea salt
– 2 large eggs
– 4 egg yolks (from large eggs)
– 2 Tbsp olive oil (for cooking the pasta)
Equipment:
– Food processor
– Large mixing bowl
– Fork
– Measuring spoons
– Measuring cups
– Knife
– Plastic wrap
– Cutting board or flat working space
– Pasta maker or rolling pin and kitchen knife
– Medium saucepan
Directions:
1. Place a medium saucepan of water on the stove to boil. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil to the water (this will help prevent the noodles from sticking to each other while cooking).
2. Blend the dry ingredients in a food processor for about 20 seconds. Place the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl
and make a well in the center.
3. Add the eggs and egg yolks to the well and begin whisking the eggs with a fork. Start pulling the dry mixture in with the fork and combining with the egg until it is partially combined (you will combine it fully when you knead the dough).
4. Turn the dough onto a flat working surface lightly dusted with arrowroot powder. Knead the dough for about 5
minutes until it is smooth (it will be sticky at first). Depending on how hot your kitchen is your dough may need to be adjusted slightly: If the dough is too dry you can add a tsp. of olive oil or water to the mixture. If it is too wet add 1 Tbsp. of almond flour at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
5. Divide the dough into 4 balls and use one at a time to roll with a rolling pin or run through a pasta machine. Make sure to keep the dough wrapped in plastic wrap until you are ready to use it or it will begin to dry out.
6. To roll the dough hand, sprinkle the workspace with some arrowroot powder and gently roll out the dough with a rolling pin until the dough has reached your desired shape and thickness If using a pasta machine, run the dough through once on setting 0 or 1.
7. To cut the pasta by hand, use a sharp knife to cut the pasta to the desired shape. If using a pasta machine, run the pasta through the cutter (I recommend a fettuccine or “thicker” pasta for this recipe). Repeat the rolling and cutting process with the remainder of the dough.
8. To cook the pasta, place the noodles in the boiling water (you will need to do this in batches to prevent the noodles
from sticking to each other). Cook for about 2-3 minutes and drain.
9. Serve!
Another Damn Cooking Blog 