Pasta is a staple food for many cultures around the world. Fresh, homemade pasta has an incredible texture that store-bought dried pasta simply can’t replicate. Making pasta dough from scratch may seem intimidating, but it’s actually quite simple. The most basic pasta dough contains just a few ingredients: flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt. However, there is some debate around whether you need to let the dough “rest” after kneading it. Here’s an in-depth look at the reasons for resting pasta dough, as well as reasons you may want to skip this step.
What does “resting” pasta dough mean?
Resting pasta dough refers to letting the dough sit undisturbed after you’ve mixed and kneaded it. Typical resting times range from 30 minutes to 1 hour. During this time, the dough remains on the counter, covered with plastic wrap or an inverted bowl.
Some key things happen while pasta dough rests:
- Gluten relaxes – Kneading develops gluten, the protein that gives pasta its chewy texture. Vigorous kneading can make the gluten tough. Resting lets gluten strands relax.
- Hydration increases – Resting gives time for flour to fully absorb the liquid in the dough, resulting in better hydration.
- Flavors meld – Resting allows time for flavors to evenly distribute throughout the dough.
So in summary, resting results in more tender pasta with better texture. Many cooks consider it an essential step to making great homemade pasta.
Reasons to rest the dough
Here are some of the top reasons why you should consider letting your pasta dough rest after kneading:
Allows gluten to relax
Vigorously kneading pasta dough develops gluten strands that give pasta that pleasantly chewy texture. However, over-kneading can make gluten tough and elastic. Resting relaxes the gluten so pasta has the right tender-but-firm al dente bite.
Improves hydration
No matter how thoroughly you knead, flour needs time to fully absorb the liquid in pasta dough. Resting gives moisture time to penetrate the flour, resulting in better hydration and silkier pasta texture.
Enhances flavor
Any flavors incorporated into pasta dough, like herbs, vegetables or spices, will distribute more evenly throughout the dough during the resting period.
Makes dough easier to roll
After resting, pasta dough becomes smoother, more elastic and less likely to spring back when rolled. Resting makes it much easier to achieve thin, even pasta sheets or shapes.
Allows dough to relax
Kneading develops gluten strands and makes dough elastic. But an over-worked dough can become too tense and fight back when you try to roll or shape it. A rest gives dough time to literally relax.
Reasons you may want to skip resting
While resting pasta dough has some benefits, there are also reasons you may want to skip this step:
You’re short on time
Resting pasta dough takes time – typically 30 minutes to 1 hour. If you need fresh pasta fast, skipping the rest means you can cook the pasta that much sooner.
You don’t want to interrupt your workflow
For some cooks, letting dough rest means cleaning up and stopping between steps. Skipping the rest allows you to seamlessly go from kneading to rolling without pausing your momentum.
Your dough isn’t over-kneaded
If you only knead the dough lightly, the gluten likely doesn’t need time to relax. Well-hydrated dough that hasn’t been over-worked may not benefit much from resting.
You added minimal ingredients
Basic pasta dough with just flour, eggs and salt doesn’t necessarily require time for flavors to distribute. Dough with lots of herbs or other ingredients benefits more from resting.
Your kitchen is hot and dry
Allowing dough to sit out in a hot, dry environment can dry it out. In very warm kitchens, it’s better to go straight to rolling after kneading.
You don’t mind rerolling as needed
If dough springs back significantly when rolled after kneading, you can reroll it a few times to achieve a smooth sheet. This takes more work but eliminates the rest.
How to tell if pasta dough needs rest
Not sure if your pasta dough would benefit from resting? Here are a few ways to tell:
The dough feels very elastic and stiff
If your dough bounces back a lot and feels tight like a rubber band, the gluten likely needs time to relax before rolling. Rest it.
It springs back when rolled
If you attempt to roll the dough and it shrinks back, the gluten strands are still too taught. Let it rest before rolling again.
The dough doesn’t feel fully hydrated
If your dough still seems dry and flaky on the surface after kneading, it needs time for the moisture to fully absorb. Rest it before rolling.
You incorporated lots of extra ingredients
Herbs, purees, spices and other ingredients will distribute better throughout dough if it’s allowed to rest after kneading.
The dough was kneaded extensively
If you kneaded the dough for longer than 5-10 minutes, chances are the gluten has tightened up. Give it time to relax through resting.
How long should you rest pasta dough?
The ideal pasta dough resting time is 30-60 minutes. Here are some guidelines:
30 minutes
– For dough containing just flour, eggs and salt
– If the dough wasn’t kneaded extensively
– If you’re in a time crunch
1 full hour
– For dough with added herbs, purees, spices, etc.
– If the dough was kneaded for over 10 minutes
– If dough seems tight and elastic after kneading
You can always rest dough longer than an hour. 2 hours is the max resting time recommended for pasta dough.
Tips for properly resting pasta dough
Here are some tips for getting the most out of resting your pasta dough:
– Cover the dough with plastic wrap or an overturned bowl to prevent drying out.
– Don’t refrigerate the dough, which can make it tough. Leave it out at room temperature.
– Set a timer so you don’t forget and over-rest the dough.
– Flour the work surface before setting the dough down to rest.
– If dough sticks to the work surface during resting, gently scrape and fold it up with a bench scraper.
– Lightly reflour the surface beneath very wet dough during longer resting times if needed.
– Punch down dough gently before rolling if it rises during an extended rest time.
Should you rest homemade gnocchi dough?
Gnocchi dough is very similar to pasta dough, with the addition of potatoes. Because of the high starch content, gnocchi dough benefits greatly from resting. Resting allows the potatoes and flour to fully absorb the liquids in the dough for great gnocchi texture. Give gnocchi dough at least 30 minutes of rest time before shaping and cooking.
Should you rest store-bought pasta dough?
Store-bought fresh pasta dough typically doesn’t require additional resting. These commercial doughs use less egg compared to homemade pastas, resulting in less elastic gluten development during kneading. However, if the directions say to rest the dough after removing from packaging, follow those instructions for best results.
Can you freeze pasta dough before or after resting?
You can freeze pasta dough either before or after the resting period. Here are some guidelines:
– To freeze unrested dough, form it into a disk, wrap well and freeze. Thaw in fridge before use.
– For rested dough, divide into portions before freezing if possible. Thaw in fridge before use.
– Allow dough to come fully to room temp before rolling or extruding after freezing.
– Add a bit more flour when rolling out frozen dough to compensate for moisture loss.
Should you rest dough for filled pasta?
YES! Filled pasta like ravioli and tortellini need a well rested dough that’s easy to roll out thin. The filling also benefits from the flavors melding during the resting time. Aim for at least 1 hour of resting time for filled pasta dough.
Sample recipes with resting times
To see pasta dough resting times in action, here are examples from a few recipes:
Simple Egg Pasta
- Knead for 7-10 minutes
- Rest for 30 minutes
Herb Pasta Dough
- Knead for 10 minutes
- Rest for 1 hour
Spinach Pasta Dough
- Knead for 5-7 minutes
- Rest for 45 minutes
Mixed Vegetable Pasta
- Knead for 10-12 minutes
- Rest for 1 hour
As you can see, doughs with added ingredients and longer knead times are generally rested for closer to 1 hour versus 30 minutes.
Conclusion
So should you rest pasta dough? While it’s not 100% required, resting after kneading does give homemade pasta better texture, flavor and workability. If you have the time, go ahead and let your dough take a break before rolling it out. But if you’re racing the clock, you don’t necessarily need to take this extra step. Pay attention to how your dough feels after kneading and decide whether it could use a 30-60 minute nap or not. Both rested and unrested dough can produce delicious homemade pasta if handled properly during rolling and shaping.