Homemade pasta - texture is tough and rubbery - help please!

Most likely overkneaded, as Nicko said.  But just in case you think, it's starting to make sense.  You might also have done the opposite and you didn't roll out thin enough.  Rolling out is a major part of the pasta making process.  And don't forget to give the dough a chance to rest between kneading and rolling.

BDL

 

I had this happen the first time I tried making homemade pasta.  My issue was that the pasta dough wasn't stiff enough.  Fresh pasta dough should be very thick (stiff).  You should be able to take the dough from the fridge (where it's been resting for about 30 mins), knead it with no flour and not have any dough sticking to your hand.  You shouldn't really knead the dough by hand after it comes out of the fridge, but I'm referring to how thick the dough will be. 

If you've ever bought fresh pasta at the grocery store, the texture is very similar to what you should end up with. 

I use AP or bread flour, because I can't find anything better.  I use about 3/4 cup of flour per large egg. 

 

i add olive oil to mine, the way i was taught is when after kneading, u poke the dough and it springs back. make sur eu rest it and then roll it out. fresh pasta is the best and u can make raviolis with it too, its delicious.

 

I can't get my noodles tender.

 

Try using more yolk and less egg white in your dough. I use 1 whole egg 2 yolks 10oz flour. Spray bottle water as needed

I don't think over kneading is as much a problem with pasta as it is with pizza dough or bread. That's why you roll it so thin

 

littlegreenbook,

Over-kneading pasta dough is a pretty difficult thing to do, especially by hand. The dough will reach a point where it doesn't want to easily fold and knead anymore and I'm assuming you didn't take it much past this point. Remember that developing gluten strands in any type of dough is inhibited by fats coating the strands (egg yolks, butter, oil etc.). This is why we knead brioche dough fully before incorporating the enricheners so the gluten has a chance to develop before we add butter which greatly halts the gluten development unless using a lot of force. Making pasta dough the traditional way by slowly incorporating flour into the "pool" of eggs is essentially not giving the gluten strands a chance to fully develop.

As to why your pasta was tough it could be a number of reasons. Did you add any water? Did your hydration level of the dough seem too low? (An egg-less fresh pasta for example is quite chewy and dense, some find this texture pleasant). Did you not rest the dough between rolling it out after kneading? Was it rolled too thick? Undercooked?

Hope this helps.