Einkorn Pasta

Background

This experiment documents several tests for making einkorn pasta. The first set of tests uses 00 einkorn flour from Wild Hive, exploring how different kneading times affect the dough. A second test introduces cornmeal from River Valley Community Grains to create a 70/30 einkorn-to-cornmeal blend.

Variations

Test 1 & 2: Pure Einkorn Dough

These two variations use the same base dough of einkorn and 00 flour with room temperature water at 50% hydration.

• Variation 1: The dough is mixed with minimal kneading and then rested for 30 minutes.
• Variation 2: The dough is kneaded for approximately five minutes.

Test 3: Einkorn & Cornmeal Dough

Instructions

1. Preparation
   If using coarse cornmeal, grind it in a coffee grinder to a texture resembling coarse semolina flour.

2. Mixing
   Combine all ingredients for the desired dough variation and knead as required.

Notes and Observations

• The cornmeal used is Whoopie Valley corn from Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
• The initial cornmeal was too coarse for pasta, requiring it to be ground finer. The resulting texture is a mix of fine and slightly coarse grains.
• The hydration for the einkorn and cornmeal dough is approximately 43%.
• Surprisingly, the unkneaded pasta tasted better than the version that was kneaded.
• The dough had a light chew, tasting somewhat like an egg noodle with more depth than traditional pasta, though it could still use a bit more body.
• We tested both orecchiette and tagliatelle shapes, and both worked fine, though further experimentation on the ideal shape is warranted.
• The dough rested for 30 to 40 minutes, but a longer rest period might be beneficial.
• A future iteration could involve adding sourdough starter and allowing it to ferment overnight—perhaps resting out of the fridge for a few hours before refrigerating—to create a more flavorful dough.
• The recipe utilizing ground raw cornmeal was not particularly good; using cooked polenta would likely yield better results.