HOW TO: Fresh Homemade Pasta Recipe

I wrote a clear piece titled How To Make Fresh Pasta By Hand that highlights one overlooked technique that makes shaping dough truly manageable.

I adore turning a mound of flour into noodles, it’s still a little bit magic to me. In this HOW TO: Fresh Homemade Pasta piece I write about the small mistakes, the learning, and the tiny wins.

I work with 00 flour and eggs, and I keep a battered notebook full of Pasta Tips And Tricks and scribbles from practicing How To Make Fresh Pasta By Hand. I wont pretend I get it right every time, sometimes the dough tears or I roll it too thin, but those failed batches taught me more than any perfect one.

Come poke around my process, you’ll get curious fast.

Ingredients

• 00 flour: silky texture mostly carbs low fiber gives tender pasta not very nutritious
• Semolina: coarser grain more protein and gluten adds bite and slightly nutty flavor
• Eggs: provide protein fat and color help bind dough and make it richer
• Extra yolk optional: more fat and silkiness makes dough richer but not necessary
• Salt: enhances flavor tiny mineral boost it doesnt change nutritional profile much
• Olive oil optional: adds healthy monounsaturated fats smoother dough texture and flavor
• Water optional: small amount adjusts hydration doesnt alter taste but affects dough feel

Ingredient Quantities

• 400 g 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100 g semolina flour (optional)
• 4 large eggs room temperature (about 200 g total)
• 1 large egg yolk (optional)
• 1 tsp fine salt (about 5 g)
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
• 1 to 2 tbsp lukewarm water (optional)

How to Make this

1. Put 400 g 00 flour and 100 g semolina flour (optional) on a clean work surface or large bowl and make a well in the center; add 4 large eggs (room temp, about 200 g total), 1 large egg yolk (optional), 1 tsp fine salt (about 5 g) and 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional) into the well.

2. Use a fork to gently beat the eggs and yolk in the well, then start incorporating the flour a little at a time until a shaggy dough forms. If you prefer, pulse the flours and eggs in a food processor until it just comes together.

3. Bring the dough together with your hands and knead on a lightly floured surface for about 8 to 12 minutes until smooth, elastic and slightly tacky. If it feels too dry add 1 to 2 tbsp lukewarm water, a little at a time, if too sticky dust with a bit more 00 flour or semolina. Dont overdo the flour.

4. Shape into a ball, coat lightly with flour or a drop of oil, wrap in plastic wrap or cover with a bowl and let rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes so the gluten relaxes.

5. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and flatten each piece into a disc. Keep the pieces you arent working with covered so they dont dry out.

6. Roll each disc through a pasta machine starting on the widest setting, fold once or twice and pass again, then progressively thin the sheet until you reach the desired thickness. If using a rolling pin, roll evenly on a well floured surface until thin. Dust sheets with extra 00 flour or semolina to prevent sticking.

7. Fold sheets loosely and cut with a sharp knife to make tagliatelle, fettuccine or pappardelle, or leave sheets whole for lasagna. Unfold and toss the cut pasta gently in semolina so strands dont stick, or hang briefly on a rack for 10 to 30 minutes to dry slightly.

8. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil, salt it generously, then add the fresh pasta. Fresh pasta cooks very fast, usually 1 to 3 minutes depending on thickness, taste to check doneness.

9. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water before draining. Finish the pasta in your sauce over low heat, adding a splash of the reserved water to help the sauce cling and create a silky finish, then stir in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil if you like. Serve immediately.

Equipment Needed

1. Large clean work surface or a big mixing bowl
2. Digital kitchen scale (for the 00 and semolina)
3. Fork (to beat the eggs)
4. Bench scraper (or spatula to gather and divide dough)
5. Pasta machine or a rolling pin (to thin the sheets)
6. Sharp knife or pasta cutter/wheel (for tagliatelle, fettuccine etc)
7. Pasta drying rack or a clean baking sheet to lay sheets/strands on
8. Large pot and colander (for boiling and draining)
9. Plastic wrap or a clean bowl to cover dough while it rests

FAQ

HOW TO: Fresh Homemade Pasta Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• 400 g 00 flour: swap for 400 g all purpose flour, it’s the easiest sub and gives almost the same result, or use 200 g 00 + 200 g whole wheat pastry flour for a nuttier, more rustic pasta (dough will be a bit denser).
• 100 g semolina flour: replace with 100 g fine durum wheat flour, or just use extra 00/all purpose if you dont have semolina, but if you do that dust the rolled pasta with a little cornsemolina or fine semolina so it won’t stick.
• 4 large eggs (about 200 g): for eggless pasta use about 170 to 200 g lukewarm water plus 1 tbsp olive oil, add water slowly till dough holds, or if you want fewer yolks use 3 whole eggs + 2 extra egg whites to cut richness but keep structure.
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil: substitute 1 tbsp neutral oil (canola, sunflower) or 1 tbsp melted butter, or skip it entirely but let the dough rest longer, like 30 to 60 minutes, so it relaxes and rolls easier.

Pro Tips

1) Weigh your stuff and trust the feel not the clock — a little more or less water/flour will happen, so add water by teaspoon and stop when the dough is smooth and slightly tacky. Too much extra flour makes dull pasta, so try to avoid dusting like crazy.

2) Use the windowpane test when you knead, if you can stretch a bit of dough thin enough to see light through it without tearing the gluten is ready. If it snaps back, rest it for longer, cover it well so it doesnt form a skin.

3) Semolina is awesome for texture but can make sheets gritty if you mix in too much, so either use it only on the board and for dusting, or blend a small percent into the 00; it gives bite and helps the strands not glue together when you cut them.

4) Always save a cup of the cooking water and finish the pasta in the sauce, that starchy water makes the sauce cling and gives a silky texture. If you need to hold the pasta, toss it briefly with a little oil then flash reheat in sauce later, or freeze on a tray first so the strands dont clump.