saffron and black pepper pasta

* a domestic goddess original

ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Italian type '00' flour (or all purpose), or more as needed
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, broken up into fine pieces

directions:
1. Pile flour in the center of a clean work surface (or in a large bowl), and make a well in the middle. Crack eggs into the well, add olive oil, salt, pepper and saffron to the eggs.
 
2. Beat eggs and spices with a fork until smooth, then begin to work flour into eggs with the fork. Eventually work in the rest of the flour, a bit at a time, a bench scraper works well for this.
 
4. When the flour is incorporated, work the dough with your hands to form a rounded ball for kneading. Clean your work area of all loose bits of dough; lightly dust with flour. Knead dough until smooth and elastic - approximately 10 minutes, adding in as much of the remaining 1/4 cup of flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.
 
5. Divide dough into four pieces and form each into a 1/2" thick disk. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes, or chill overnight.
 
6. Quickly knead and flatten a portion of dough into a disk shape somewhat narrower than the machine opening; very lightly dust the dough with flour. Feed through at the pasta machine’s widest setting. (If pasta pulls or tears when passing through machine, sprinkle a little more flour over it, just before it’s fed.) As the sheet comes through the other side, gently support it with your hand, guiding it onto the work surface. Fold this sheet lengthwise into thirds. Repeat this twice on the same setting to smooth the dough and increase its elasticity. Then thin the dough by passing it through ever finer settings, one pass on each setting from widest to narrowest.

7. Pass the sheets of pasta through the appropriate cutter on the machine to make 1/4-inch wide strips. Dust lightly with cornmeal and store in a tightly sealed plastic bag in the fridge. If dried thoroughly it can be stored at room temperature for up to two months.

notes: