There are certain processes in the kitchen that are magical. Making dough is one. Whether it's bread or pasta dough, the action of transformation is always striking. As you know, we tinker, we play. We are always changing up ingredients and working off ratios to create something new and delicious. But every now and then, often when we're teaching a workshop, we go back to the basics. We make the original semolina pasta dough that we created for the pasta extruder and the no-knead pizza dough from our first book, Ideas in Food, Great Recipes and Why They Work. Every time we do, we are reminded of how special those original recipes are. You need a solid foundation to support your creative endeavors. Perfectly extruded pasta has a weight to it, it has texture from the combination of heat and pressure inside the machine forcing the flour and water through the die, creating a soft, yet rough pasta. The myriad shapes cook up into a silky, toothsome bite that holds on to sauce and highlights anything you choose to serve beside them. Great pizza dough feels alive beneath your fingertips. It is supple and elastic, there are air bubbles and the dough itself seems to breathe. Eating that homemade pizza, where the crispy air bubbles shatter beneath your teeth, giving way to tender, chewy dough, which highlights the salty, creamy cheese and the acidic bite of tomato is an experience to be savored. Every time we go back to the basics it's a reminder of what cooking is all about.
Years Past
Ideas in Food: Great Recipes and Why They Work
Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook
Gluten Free Flour Power: Bringing Your Favorite Foods Back to the Table
