DOUGH

“The dough for the tortellini or any other stuffed pasta you may want to make must be freshly rolled out and still moist, and very soft, otherwise it won’t seal tightly.”(Hazan, Marcella 1982, 173)  So much of the effectiveness of the pasta is about its texture and the chef’s ability to replicate the shape and size almost exactly throughout the entire cooking process.  

There were two main types of flour used to make ravioli : white and wheat. (Albala, Ken, 120)   The Encyclopedia of Pasta says “wheat flour, a few eggs, and water; today, only flour and eggs” are necessary to form ravioli dough.  Another recipe in the same cookbook cites the use of corn flour in addition to wheat flour. (Zanini de Vita, Oretta 2009, 222)  The Encyclopedia of Pasta also describes the dough preparation process : “the flour is sifted onto a wooden board and kneaded long and vigorously with water and a few eggs. The dough is left to rest, then rolled out into a thin sheet, and 4-inch (10-cm) squares are cut from it.” (Zanini de Vita, Oretta 2009, 221)