The Important Reason You Should Let Your Pasta Dough Rest

Pasta in any shape or form is the ultimate comfort dish for when you're sick, feeling nostalgic, or just want a hearty meal. Making it can be as easy as boiling some boxed pasta, upgrading your jarred sauce with an aromatic base, and putting it all together. That being said, if you can, making your own pasta from scratch is definitely worth it. Doing so only requires eggs and flour, and it's a fun way to seriously upgrade your pasta game. The Takeout spoke to Jacob Mendros, executive chef of Prima Italian Steakhouse, who gave us his top tip to keep in mind when making pasta dough: You have to let it rest.

When asked why resting the pasta dough is important, Mendros explained that, "You allow the dough to rest so that the hydration is fully incorporated into the dough and to allow the dough to come to ambient temperature." He also added that letting the dough rest for 30 minutes is sufficient, although you can leave the dough for up to an hour at room temperature, if you want. Either way, you'll be making your life a lot easier by leaving your dough alone for a bit.

Jacob Mendros mentioned that rolling out your dough without resting it is possible but warned that, "You are more likely to overwork the pasta, making it tougher, more brittle, and prone to breaking." This is because, without a proper resting period, the gluten inside the pasta dough won't have relaxed enough for it to become pliable, meaning the dough won't hold its shape when it is rolled out.

Luckily, there is an easy way to tell if your pasta dough is sufficiently rested prior to rolling. Just press a finger into the dough. If there's a visible imprint, you're good to go. If it springs back, leave it a little longer. Once happy with it, you're ready to make any one of these 20 pasta recipes that never get old. And if you're ever flustered, just remember: Making your good pasta is really quite simple, the dough just needs a good rest — and honestly, who doesn't?