What is the effect of a semolina/plain flour mix in pasta making?
I have made fresh egg pasta a couple times now using various combinations of semolina and plain flour (4:1 semolina to plain flour, 4:1 plain flour to semolina, all plain flour).
Seeing as semolina flour is more expensive than plain flour, what's the effect of the semolina/plain flour mix on the texture and flavour meant to be? Perhaps the distinction is lost on me, but for me all the variations taste roughly the same.
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The higher the protein content in the flour, the chewier the pasta is. If you're cooking your pasta "al dente" and that chewiness is an essential factor in enjoying the pasta for you (it is for me), then you should include semolina in the mix. If you overcook your pasta or are indifferent towards the chewiness of the final product, then it is of course possible to make pasta just with ordinary white flour (but stay away from "cake flour"). The fact that semolina pasta is a courser grain isn't related to the protein content, but rather to the milling process.
Other factors can also influence the chewiness, such as how long you knead the pasta or how many eggs you include.
Firstly, all-purpose, high protein ("OO"), semolina, whole wheat and other flours make excellent pastas on their own or in combination. So, at the end of the day, you should use what you like, have on hand or is economically feasible. Semolina flour, either by itself, of in combination with other flours, should not impact the flavor much...but it should create a slightly "rougher" texture. Some claim that this helps sauce cling better, but I have never done a side-by-side comparison.
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