SC - Seeking wheat illumination - OOP

[Philip & Susan Troy]

Christina Nevin wrote:
> 
> Saluti,
> A couple of weeks ago I had the most wonderful luck, and found one of those
> heavy metal Italian pasta machines in Oxfam for GBP 5.00 (instead of the
> usual 60 - 100) <gloat gloat>
> I've never made pasta before so thought I may as well do it right the first
> time and use durum wheat. Problem is, I can't find any. Now I know semolina
> is made of durum wheat, so my question (which is probably a stupid one, but
> never mind) is this: is there a difference? That is to say, can I make pasta
> out of the semolina, or should I keep looking for durum wheat? It looks a
> bit granular to make dough from. Any suggestions appreciated!
> Ciao,
> Lucretzia

If you're talking about the granular semolina _flour_, and not couscous
or something, you can indeed make pasta from it, but you need to be sure
to knead the bejeezus out of it. Many new pasta makers miss this
essential [read that to mean, I did]. Use the rollers on your machine to
knead your dough until it is smooth, elastic, and almost shiny, like
satin. If the outside surface looks granular, you may need to add a tiny
bit more water, but the trick is to roll out the dough flat, with your
machine, then fold it like puff pastry or something similar, to evenly
distribute the gluten and any dryish outer surface throughout the dough.
Roll, fold, roll again, fold, etc., until you get a satiny smooth
laminated dough. It may take a while to get the hang of it. Only then do
you begin to worry about rolling it thinly.

HTH,
 
Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com
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