Making Fresh Egg Pasta at Home
There is a significant difference between the snap of dried store-bought pasta and the give of fresh dough. Once you learn to feel the hydration of the flour under your palms, you will rarely reach for a box again.
Patience is your primary ingredient
The dough needs time to hydrate and relax. If you try to roll it out immediately after kneading, it will fight you by snapping back.
- Large wooden cutting board
- Bench scraper
- Rolling pin or pasta machine
- Clean kitchen towel
What goes in.
- 400 gTipo 00 flour
- 4large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 tspfine sea salt
Developing the gluten structure
Push the dough away from you with the heel of your hand, fold it over, and rotate it. Repeat this until the surface of the dough is smooth as a pebble.
The method.
Form the well
Heap the flour onto your board and create a deep crater in the center. Crack the eggs into the well and add the salt.
Mix
Use a fork to gently whisk the eggs, slowly pulling in flour from the inner walls of the crater. Do this until the mixture becomes a thick paste.
Knead
Scrape the remaining flour into the dough. Work it with your hands for 10 minutes. If it feels sticky, add a dusting of flour. If it is dry and cracking, dampen your hands with water.
Rest
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or cover it with an inverted bowl. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
Roll and cut
Divide the dough into four pieces. Keep three covered. Roll the first piece thin enough that you can see the shadow of your hand through it. Fold and slice into your preferred widths.
Other turns to take.
Spinach Pasta
Add 100g of finely chopped, squeezed-dry cooked spinach to the eggs before mixing.
Semolina Blend
Replace 100g of the flour with finely ground semolina for a firmer, more structural bite.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Use a wooden surface if possible; the slight texture helps the dough grab and stretch.
Dust your pasta with semolina flour instead of 00 flour to keep the strands from sticking together once cut.
Boil in heavily salted water—it should taste like the ocean.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why is my dough tough to roll?
You likely didn't let the dough rest long enough. The gluten needs to relax, or it will continue to pull back like a rubber band.
How do I know when it's done boiling?
Fresh pasta rises to the surface very quickly. It is usually done within 60 to 90 seconds. Taste a strand; it should have a slight bite but no raw flour flavor.
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