Abstract: Quick-cooking pasta is made by (1) forming a dough comprising flour, water, a carbonate selected from the group consisting of edible alkali metal and ammonium carbonates, an acidic leavening salt and an interrupter, the dough having a bread dough-like consistency, (2) extruding the dough through an extrusion cooking device under conditions of pressure and temperature sufficient to permit reaction of the carbonate with the acidic leavening salt to produce carbon dioxide and sufficient to at least partially gelatinize the starch in the flour while forming the dough, and (3) drying the extruded formed pasta. A product is provided which will rehydrate within two minutes after addition of water at boiling temperature to provide a high quality cooked pasta.

Abstract: Quick-cooking pasta is made by (1) forming a dough comprising flour, water, a carbonate selected from the group consisting of edible alkali metal and ammonium carbonates, and an acidic leavening salt, the dough having a bread dough-like consistency, (2) extruding the dough through an extrusion cooking device under conditions of pressure and temperature sufficient to permit reaction of the carbonate with the acidic leavening salt to produce carbon dioxide and sufficient to at least partially gelatinize the starch in the flour while forming the dough, and (3) drying the extruded formed pasta. A product is provided which will rehydrate within two minutes after addition of water at boiling temperature to provide a high quality cooked pasta.