On Food and Cooking

most fresh pastas sold in the United States are
of this type. Eggs perform two functions in
noodles. One is to enhance color and richness.
Here the yolk is the primary factor, and yolks
alone can be used; their fat content also makes
the dough more delicate and the noodles
tender. The second function is to provide
additional protein for moderate-protein flours
used in both home and industrial production.
The egg white proteins make the dough and
noodles more cohesive and firm, reduce the
gelation and leaking of starch granules, and
reduce cooking losses. In U.S. commercial
noodles, dried egg is added at 5–10% of the
weight of the flour. In Italy, Alsace, Germany,
and in specialty and homemade noodles in the
United States, fresh eggs are used, and in
larger proportions. They may be the only
source of water in the dough. Some pastas
from the Piedmont region in northwest Italy
contain as many as 18 yolks per pound of
flour/40 yolks per kg.