Description
Learn how to make homemade pasta by hand, with a machine, or using a KitchenAid stand mixer (my bonus shortcut method!). This simple fresh pasta recipe is complete with step-by-step photos & detailed explanations of every step along the way – the perfect starting point for learning how to make homemade pasta dough as a beginner!
Be sure to refer to the blog post, above, for extra fresh pasta tips & tricks!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached All-Purpose Flour (180 grams), plus extra for dusting
- ½ cup Bob’s Red Mill Semolina Flour (82 grams), plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs + 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2–4 tablespoons water
Instructions
Kneading Fresh Pasta Dough by Hand:
- Mix the flours: Add the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, & kosher salt to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Turn the flour mixture on a clean, sturdy work surface, using your hands to bring it together in a pile. Create a large well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the eggs, egg yolks, olive oil, & 2 tablespoons of water to the well. [gallery columns="4" size="full" ids="21939,21940,21942,21925"]
- Mix the pasta dough: Use a fork to break up the eggs & whisk the egg mixture. Once the eggs are whisked, gradually mix flour from the edges of the well into the mixture. Once the dough is too thick to continue mixing with the fork, use your hands to bring the dough together. Since the dough will be rather sticky at this point, it’s helpful to use a bench scraper to scrape the loose flour into the dough ball. Continue mixing by hand until the dough comes together into a ball. (If you have difficulty getting the dough ball to form, see Recipe Notes, below, for Troubleshooting tips.) [gallery columns="4" size="full" ids="21926,21944,21927,21945,21928,21947,21929,21948,21949,21930,21931,21950"]
- Knead the pasta dough: Knead the pasta dough for 8-10 minutes. Be sure to really use your body weight to roll & stretch the dough, as this helps develop the glutens in the flour, creating homemade pasta with a beautiful springy, chewy texture. I find it’s easiest to place the heel of my palm on the surface of the dough closest to me, then forcefully push down & forward, stopping just as the heel of my palm reaches the center of the dough ball. I rotate the dough ball a quarter turn, then repeat. Avoid tearing the dough as you knead, as this breaks the glutens. The pasta dough will be ready once the dough ball is smooth & supple. It will feel very tight & tense, but the surface should be very smooth. You can press your finger on the dough & it should bounce back pretty quickly. [gallery columns="4" size="full" ids="21934,21933,21951,21952"]
- Rest the pasta dough: Tightly wrap the pasta dough in plastic & set aside to rest at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate for later use (see “Make-Ahead Pasta” in the Recipe Notes, below). [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="21938,21937"]
Kneading Fresh Pasta Dough in a Stand Mixer: In order to knead properly, creating fresh pasta with a nice, toothsome texture, the mixer needs enough dough for the dough hook to work it against the sides of the bowl. I suggest doubling this fresh pasta recipe if you plan to use this stand mixer method. Use the “SCALE 2X” button at the top of the Ingredients List, above, & the recipe card will automatically calculate proper measurements in the Ingredients List.
- Mix the flours: Add the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, & kosher salt to the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with its paddle attachment. Mix on low, just to combine. [gallery columns="4" size="full" ids="21953,21954,21955,21956"]
- Mix the pasta dough: Use your hands to create a large well in the center of the flour mixture. Add the eggs, egg yolks, olive oil, & 2 tablespoons of water to the well. Mix on low, just until combined into a shaggy dough. Swap the paddle attachment with the dough hook. Knead on medium speed for 8-10 minutes, until the dough is smooth & supple. It will feel very tight & tense, but the surface should be very smooth. You can press your finger on the dough & it should bounce back pretty quickly. [gallery columns="4" size="full" ids="21957,21958,21959,21960"]
- Rest the pasta dough: Turn the pasta dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times by hand, just to bring the dough together into a smooth ball. Tightly wrap the pasta dough in plastic & set aside to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. [gallery size="full" ids="21961,21962,21937"]
Rolling Out Fresh Pasta Dough with Pasta Roller:
- Prep: Use a knife or bench scraper to divide the rested dough into 4 pieces. Cover the pasta dough with a kitchen towel until you’re ready to begin rolling it out. Set up your pasta roller according to manufacturer instructions. If you plan to cook your pasta immediately, this is a good time to begin boiling your pasta water, as well (see “Cooking Fresh Pasta” Step 1, below). [gallery size="full" columns="4" ids="21963,21964,21965,21966"]
- Roll out the pasta: Lightly dust 1 of the 4 pieces of fresh pasta dough with flour. Use your hands to press the dough into a thin, even layer. With the machine set to its widest setting, pass the dough through the rollers. Fold the dough in half, pressing down on it to seal the edges, then give it a quarter turn & run it through the machine again. Repeat folding & passing through at the wides setting 1-2 more times, until the sheet of pasta is about as wide as the roller. Adjust the pasta roller to its next setting & run the dough through. Continue running the dough through the roller, adjusting to its next setting after each pass through, until the sheet of pasta reaches your desired thickness. Once the pasta begins to get thin, I suggest catching it using the back of your hand (vs your fingers) to avoid tearing. If the dough begins to stick to the machine at any point, simply dust it with a little extra flour. If desired, you can also dust the rollers with a little flour, too. Once rolled to your desired thickness, dust the sheet of pasta with flour & cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat the process with the remaining 3 pieces of fresh pasta dough. [gallery columns="4" size="full" ids="21967,21968,21969,21970"]
- Cut the pasta: Once all of the pasta is rolled, cut the pasta as desired. Leave the sheets whole for lasagna or filled pastas, use a sharp knife to cut into thicker noodles (e.g. pappardelle), or use the your pasta machine’s attachments to cut into another desired shape (e.g. spaghetti, fettuccini, tagliatelle, etc.). Dust the cut pasta with semolina flour & transfer the cut pasta to a small baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel & repeat until all of the pasta dough is cut. At this point you can cook & serve your fresh pasta (see “Cooking Fresh Pasta” Step 1, below) or store for cooking later (see “Make-Ahead Pasta” in the Recipe Notes, below). [gallery columns="4" size="full" ids="21973,21975,21976,21978"]
Rolling out Fresh Pasta Dough with a Rolling Pin:
- Prep: Use a knife or bench scraper to divide the rested dough into 2 pieces. Cover the pasta dough with a kitchen towel until you’re ready to begin rolling it out. If you plan to cook your pasta immediately, this is a good time to begin boiling your pasta water, as well (see “Cooking Fresh Pasta” Step 1, below).
- Roll out the pasta: Lightly dust your work surface, a rolling pin, & 1 of the 2 pieces of fresh pasta dough with flour. Roll out the dough as thinly & evenly as possible until the sheet of pasta reaches your desired thickness. If the dough begins to stick to the surface or the rolling pin at any point, simply dust the dough, the surface, & the rolling pin with a little extra flour. Once rolled to your desired thickness, dust the sheet of pasta with flour & cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat the process with the remaining fresh pasta dough.
- Cut the pasta: Once all of the pasta is rolled, cut the pasta as desired. Leave the sheets whole for lasagna or filled pastas or use a sharp knife to cut into noodles (e.g. pappardelle, spaghetti, fettuccini, tagliatelle, etc.). Dust the cut pasta with semolina flour & transfer the cut pasta to a small baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen towel & repeat until all of the pasta dough is cut. At this point you can cook & serve your fresh pasta (see “Cooking Fresh Pasta” Step 1, below) or store for cooking later (see “Make-Ahead Pasta” in the Recipe Notes, below)
Cooking Fresh Pasta:
- Boil water: Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. If you plan to cook your pasta immediately, begin boiling the water just as you start to roll out & cut your pasta.
- Cook the pasta: Add the pasta to the boiling water, stirring often to prevent sticking. The water will likely stop boiling once the pasta is added; when the water returns to a boil the pasta should nearly be done! Check for doneness after 1 minute, cooking the pasta no more than 2-3 minutes – fresh pasta cooks very quickly! [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="21990,21989"]
- Finish the pasta: Reserve some of the starchy pasta water for finishing the pasta with the pasta sauce. Drain the pasta. Toss the pasta with your sauce, using the reserved pasta water to loosen up the sauce & bring everything together as needed.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Equipment
Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Buy Now →Notes
- Troubleshooting Fresh Pasta Dough:
- How to fix pasta dough that is too wet! ⇢ Your pasta dough is too wet if it is sticky to the touch & doesn’t come together in a nice ball. Wet pasta dough is a nightmare to roll out since it sticks to everything it touches – your hands, the counter, the pasta rollers or rolling pins, etc. Fortunately, of all the problems you could have, this is the easiest one to fix! Working 1 tablespoon at a time, knead more flour into the dough until it’s barely tacky.
- How to fix pasta dough that is too dry! ⇢ Your pasta dough is too dry if it tears easily as you knead it or if the edges crumble. Working 1 teaspoon at a time, knead more water into the dough until it’s barely tacky. The added moisture will make the surface of the dough ball really slippery & sticky at first, but it will smooth out as you continue to knead.
- Make-Ahead Pasta:
- Make-Ahead Pasta Dough: Fresh pasta dough is very make-ahead friendly! Once it’s kneaded & ready to rest, wrap the homemade pasta dough tightly in plastic. Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Remove from the refrigerator about 30 minutes – 1 hour before rolling & cutting your pasta to allow it to come up to room temperature.
- Make-Ahead Fresh Pasta: Fresh cut pasta is also make-ahead friendly. Once it’s rolled out & cut, let the pasta sit, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes to let it dry ever so slightly, then transfer to an airtight container & refrigerate up to 1 day. This is not my preferred make-ahead method – I prefer cooking pasta as soon as it’s cut, so I like the Make-Ahead Pasta Dough method, above – but it’s totally doable.