Seven Yolk Pasta adapted from The French Laundry Cookbook

Seven Yolk Pasta


1 3/4 cups (8 ounces) all-purpose flour
6 large egg yolks
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon milk

Start by mounding the flour on a clean surface, a wooden board if you have it.  Make a well with an opening about 6 inches in diameter.  Make sure all the walls around the opening are solid and about 1 inch wide.

Pour the egg yolks, egg, oil and the milk into the well.  Break up the eggs with your fingers and once they are broken apart, start swirling the eggs around in a circular motion, make sure to keep them within the well and not spilling over.  The swirling will gradually pull the four from the sides.  It's important that the flour isn't incorporated too quickly,or the dough will be lumpy.  Take your time.  You will need to push the sides of the well in, little by little, to maintain the gradual mixing in of flour, but still keeping the eggs inside the well.  The mixture will thicken and eventually get too tight to keep turning with your fingers.

When the dough begins to thicken, use a pastry scraper (or a flat spatula) to lift the flour up and over the dough that is starting to form.  Cut in the flour with the scraper.  At this point, with your hands, bring the shaggy dough together and form it into a ball.

Knead the dough a few times by pressing it in a forward motion with the heels of your hands, not folding it over on itself like you would do with bread.  Reshape the dough into a ball and repeat the kneading motion several times.  The dough will be moist, but not sticky.  Let it rest for a few minutes while you clean your work surface.

Here is where the real kneading begins.  Dust the work surface with flour.  Knead the dough in the same manner as before, pushing it forward with the heels of your hands, and re-shaping it into a ball.  Keep kneading in this way until the dough becomes silky smooth.  The dough is ready when you can pull a finger across the top of it and it wants to snap back into place.  This process will take from 15 to 20 minutes, but knead as  long as it takes to pass the pull test.  If not, the dough could collapse when resting.

Double-wrap the dough in plastic wrap to ensure that it does not dry out. Let the dough rest for a least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before rolling it through a pasta machine or rolling out by hand.  The dough can be made a day ahead, wrapped and refrigerated, but bring to room temperature before you continue.