Cavatelli dough

Ingredients

  • 375g finely-ground double-milled semolina flour (semolina rimacinata)
  • 150g to 175g room temperature water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Method

  1. In a large bowl, mix semolina, 150g water, and oil together until a clumpy dough forms and there is very little dry semolina remaining at the bottom of the bowl.
  2. Use your hands to press and knead the dough together in the bowl until it forms a rough ball. If the dough seems too dry, like there’s no way to get it to come together, knead in 1 to 2 more tablespoons of water.
  3. Transfer dough to a clean counter and knead until smooth, about 4 to 6 minutes.
  4. Cover dough with a bowl and rest for about 15 minutes.
  5. Use a bench scraper or knife to cut the dough into 6 equal pieces. Keep all but one piece of dough covered.
  6. Working with one piece of dough at a time, use the palms of both hands to press down moderately on the dough and roll until the dough forms an even rope that’s roughly 1/2-inch diameter and 12 to 15 inches long.
  7. Make sure the surface (should be wood) beneath the dough is clean (no dusting of flour) so the rope can grip the surface and lengthen as it rolls.
  8. Cut the rope into 1/2 inch long segments.
  9. Roll on cavatelli board using two fingers or three
  10. Dust with semolina as needed to prevent sticking
  11. Allow to dry (cure) at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour
  12. Cook or freeze