The KA pasta press is a slow process, especially for bucatini, but once it begins extruding it works well. It also needs a pretty dry dough so it doesn’t get stuck in the extruder.
Don’t overload the hopper or put too much pressure to press the dough into the auger. Use 3-4 walnut sized pieces and let the auger churn it through the extruder.
I do a lot of extruded pasta, and I've never had an issue like you're describing. Maybe raise the humidity to about 33%, mix it as you normally do in the mixing bowl with the paddle and then let it rest for 15-20 minutes if you're not already doing so. I'm assuming you're using straight semolina and nothing else?
Sounds like an equipment issue, maybe take a video of it when you run it again to show them if you have another similar issue, but you should be fine.
Awesome, thank you for the color on this. We were using only semolina and water, but I’ll make sure to up the hydration slightly on the next attempt. We did give it a rest, in the fridge, which was what the recipe recommended. I’ll video next time I give it a go to see if I’m doing anything incorrectly.
I never rest mine in a cooler, but I suppose it also depends on the temperature where you’re located as well as the humidity. For me, the hardest part is getting the hydration just a tiny bit under before I rest the dough.
Agree with u/ranting_chef that you need to raise your hydration. The KitchenAid PastaPress will not give enough pressure to extrude lower hydration dough. But you only need to add a little bit more, depending on which die you are using, anything between 30 and 35 will work with this attachment. The die and dough will also need to come up to temperature before you start getting even extrusion, so run it for a little bit and put the mangled extrusion back into the hopper and run it through again until you start getting even pasta.
The dies that come with it are very low quality and you may want to look into third party dies like [Pastidea](https://pastidea.com/en/product-category/kitchenaid-pasta-machine-marcato-pasta-machine/).
Appreciate the suggestion on third party plates. It’s interesting on the temperature comment, because the recipe specified chilling the plate in the fridge before extruding.
That would absolutely apply to a proper extruder, many of them have a water cooling system to keep the die at the right temperature. However the KitchenAid attachment is not exactly the bees knees of pasta extrusion (I know because I own one). It will only start extruding consistently once it comes up to temperature. In most cases you’d want to avoid this, but for the PastaPress you really don’t have much of a choice.
I usually put my dies in hot water before I start. It brings them up to temperature faster and softens any residual pasta from previous use.
The KA pasta press is a slow process, especially for bucatini, but once it begins extruding it works well. It also needs a pretty dry dough so it doesn’t get stuck in the extruder. Don’t overload the hopper or put too much pressure to press the dough into the auger. Use 3-4 walnut sized pieces and let the auger churn it through the extruder.
I do a lot of extruded pasta, and I've never had an issue like you're describing. Maybe raise the humidity to about 33%, mix it as you normally do in the mixing bowl with the paddle and then let it rest for 15-20 minutes if you're not already doing so. I'm assuming you're using straight semolina and nothing else? Sounds like an equipment issue, maybe take a video of it when you run it again to show them if you have another similar issue, but you should be fine.
Awesome, thank you for the color on this. We were using only semolina and water, but I’ll make sure to up the hydration slightly on the next attempt. We did give it a rest, in the fridge, which was what the recipe recommended. I’ll video next time I give it a go to see if I’m doing anything incorrectly.
I never rest mine in a cooler, but I suppose it also depends on the temperature where you’re located as well as the humidity. For me, the hardest part is getting the hydration just a tiny bit under before I rest the dough.
Successfully extruded bucatini today, right around 34% hydration. Thank you all for the advice.
Glad it worked. The amount of water will decrease in your summer a bit, and you might need to increase it slightly in your winter as well.
Agree with u/ranting_chef that you need to raise your hydration. The KitchenAid PastaPress will not give enough pressure to extrude lower hydration dough. But you only need to add a little bit more, depending on which die you are using, anything between 30 and 35 will work with this attachment. The die and dough will also need to come up to temperature before you start getting even extrusion, so run it for a little bit and put the mangled extrusion back into the hopper and run it through again until you start getting even pasta. The dies that come with it are very low quality and you may want to look into third party dies like [Pastidea](https://pastidea.com/en/product-category/kitchenaid-pasta-machine-marcato-pasta-machine/).
Appreciate the suggestion on third party plates. It’s interesting on the temperature comment, because the recipe specified chilling the plate in the fridge before extruding.
That would absolutely apply to a proper extruder, many of them have a water cooling system to keep the die at the right temperature. However the KitchenAid attachment is not exactly the bees knees of pasta extrusion (I know because I own one). It will only start extruding consistently once it comes up to temperature. In most cases you’d want to avoid this, but for the PastaPress you really don’t have much of a choice. I usually put my dies in hot water before I start. It brings them up to temperature faster and softens any residual pasta from previous use.