of water in it.
— Decameron, Day 8, Tale 3
After the ingredients are mixed and briefly
kneaded into a homogenous but stiff mass,
pasta dough is rested to allow the flour
particles to absorb the water and the gluten
network to develop. With time the dough
becomes noticeably easier to work, and the
finished noodles end up with a cohesive
consistency rather than a crumbly one. The
dough is then rolled gently and repeatedly to
form an ever thinner sheet. This gradual
sheeting presses out air bubbles that weaken
the dough structure, and organizes the gluten
network, compressing and aligning the protein
fibers, but also spreading them out so that the
dough becomes more easily stretched without
snapping back.
Egg Pasta and Fresh Pasta Noodles made
from standard bread wheat and eggs are
preferred in much of northern Europe, and