Gluten Free Fresh Pasta Recipe

By Victoria Featherston

For sufferers of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, it used to be frustrating to find alternatives for old favourites... that actually tasted good. Fortunately, we have come a long way in developing gluten free versions of bread, crackers, cakes and of course, pasta. Decades ago, these foods would´ve been impossible for celiac disease sufferers to consume, unless they wanted to eat bread that tasted like cardboard and was as dense as a rock. Here we present a fantastic recipe for homemade gluten free fresh pasta. The best part is that it´s not full of starch or gum, like many other gluten free pasta recipes are.

Filling a pasta dough full of starch results in lower quality pasta, while adding too much gum will make it obvious that you, well, added a lot of gum. I know this from personal experience after making a recipe that called for a ton of gum and the result was a horrible tasting pasta. You could definitely taste the guar gum and the only way to mask the taste was with heavy seasoning.

Fortunately, healthier gluten free flours such as teff, millet, buckwheat and quinoa flours are becoming more popular and commonplace in natural grocery stores. These flours will add a nice flavour and better nutritional profile to your gluten free foods. In this gluten free fresh pasta recipe, the base flour is millet. Millet is mild and nutty in taste and has a nice creamy texture. Most people associate it with what birds eat, but more and more people are discovering the great nutritional benefits of it -- it certainly isn´t good for just birds! It is a very good source of manganese, phosphorus and magnesium, and it´s high in fibre. It´s also high in niacin (vitamin B3) which is good for lowering high cholesterol. So if you think it´s just for birds, then you´re missing out on a great seed that´s packed with vitamins, minerals and protein.

Gluten Free Fresh Pasta Recipe
Courtesy of Cooking Gluten Free

Ingredients
3/4 cup millet flour
1/4 cup potato starch
1 tsp guar gum
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1 egg
1 egg white
2 tsp olive oil

Directions
Start boiling a pot of salted water prior to making the pasta. In a large enough bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients. Briefly combine the flours with a fork and then make a well in the center. Add the eggs and olive oil to the well and then either combine the ingredients by hand or use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium for about 3 minutes.

After the dough has been well combined, roll it out between two sheets of parchment. If you´re not using a pasta machine, continue rolling the dough between the parchment paper such that it´s as thin as possible. Then cut the noodles to the desired shape. If using a pasta machine, remove the parchment paper and pass the dough through the machine set at the first dial. Pass it through again on the second dial. Next, feed the flattened dough through the fettucine cutter.

With gluten free fresh pasta, it´s best to cook it straight away after cutting it. If you let it dry out or wait too long, it will be difficult to handle and may fall apart on you.

Throw the pasta into the pot of boiling water and let it cook for about 5 minutes or until al dente. Drain and serve with your favourite sauce.

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