Only The Best Of Gragnano Pasta

The semolina we process in our pasta factory is obtained through a grinding process that does not excessively reduce the diameter of the particles that make it up and does not damage the starch, thus preserving the nutritional characteristics that guarantee the quality of the pasta. This year we started a very interesting project, selecting a dozen farms that have produced two varieties of durum wheat for us. The harvested wheat was ground in a Capitanata mill and the highest quality semolina obtained (protein content 14.9% on dry matter, gluten content 13% on dry matter, gluten tenacity expressed by glutomatic 85) was used to produce the pasta that we brought to this event. The result is clear to everyone we have obtained a product with a very low stickiness, an extraordinary fluency and a high nerve. We are already doing our best to enlarge the agricultural base that will grow durum wheat for us and next year we will make a certified pasta of the highest quality using exclusively semolina coming from wheat grown in Italy. With regard to our production process, we can say that water is added to the semolina that arrives at the factory in order to bring the dough to a humidity of about 33%. The kneading phase serves to evenly distribute the water in the dough and allows the formation of gluten, a protein network, consisting of two proteins linked to each other, gliadins and glutenins that influence the main qualitative characteristics of the pasta (kept in cooking , elevated nerve, poor stickiness). The kneading phase lasts about 20 minutes. Once the dough has been worked in the kneading vats, it is compressed by a stainless steel worm screw, located on the bottom of the kneading vat, which makes it more compact and sends it to the

die. In this phase of the production process it is essential to control the temperature of the dough so that the friction that is generated does not lead to excessive heating of the dough which would have an extremely negative effect on the gluten that is forming and on the starch. leading to a final product with poor characteristics (high stickiness, high degree of massing of the pasta after cooking, product not “Al Dente”) Once pressed, the product is drawn, in our company only bronze dies will be used which give greater roughness – greater resistance of the sauce – and a typically handcrafted appearance, giving the pasta the desired shape. The drying process of the pasta takes place in two phases: a first phase during which the product quickly loses about 1/3 of the water, with the formation of a thin film on the surface of the pasta, a sort of “peel” that gives rigidity to the product; the actual drying, during which, alternating ventilation cycles with hot air and resting phases, in which the water of the innermost layers flows outwards and evaporates. In our pasta factory, pasta is dried at low temperatures (never higher than 45 ° C) in static cells for as long as necessary (not less than 24 hours). Our pasta has a pale yellow color (the same color as the wheat) and against the light you can see the coarse grain of the semolina. To the touch it is rough and extremely porous. Finally, by testing it, you will appreciate its unique aroma and flavor. We have a wide range of formats, all characterized by a pleasant texture, particularly recognized and appreciated by gourmets. In addition to the classic line, we are close to launching a range of integral products.