Fresh Pasta Dough
Boxed pasta gets dinner on the table, and refrigerated pasta is a good alternative, but making fresh pasta from scratch turns dinner into an occasion. Flour goes everywhere, eggs nestle into a little flour volcano, and before long everyone has messy hands and a role to play. This homemade fresh pasta dough combines all-purpose flour, semolina flour, salt, eggs, and olive oil. Roll it into spaghetti, fettuccine, ravioli, or lasagna, then invite friends to join the fun: they can help feed the dough through the pasta roller or bring their favorite sauce. The pasta will be delicious. The floury kitchen, lively table, and story you’ll tell later are the bonus.
Recipe card for Fresh Pasta Dough recipe by Michelle Trombetta
Fresh Pasta Dough
Yield: About 4 servings, or 2 for an Italian family
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 15 minutes for rolling and cutting*
Rest time: At least 1 hour
Refrigerator: Keeps for up to 24 hours
Ingredients
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup semolina flour
A pinch of salt
6 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
Clean your counter. And your hands.
Combine the all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and salt in a bowl. Pour the dry ingredients onto your clean counter and shape them into a mound.
Make a well in the center, like a little flour volcano.
Add the eggs one at a time, folding the flour into each egg and kneading the mixture together with your hands. Make a new well for each egg. Add the olive oil with the third egg.
Keep kneading until the dough feels consistent throughout. Pasta dough can behave differently depending on things like humidity, so it may take a little adjusting. You’re looking for dough that feels slightly tacky, about a little less sticky than a Post-it note, but doesn’t stick to your hands. If it needs help coming together, dampen your hands with a little water and oil and keep working the dough until it feels right.
Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to make pasta, divide the dough into 3 portions.
Using a pasta roller, start on setting 1 and feed the dough through until it feels easier to work with. Then move through settings 2, 3, and 4, continuing until the dough is as thick or thin as you like. Repeat with each portion.
Cut the pasta with a pasta cutter attachment. Boil for about 3 minutes for al dente pasta, 4 minutes for a softer bite, or longer if you like it a little mushy.
Serve with your favorite sauce. Butter and Parmesan work, too, especially when you’re feeling nostalgic.
Buon appetito!
Pasta Roller Settings
Use these settings as a starting point for different pasta shapes:
Settings 1–2: Kneading the dough
Setting 3: Polish kluski noodles
Setting 4: Pappardelle and German egg noodles
Setting 5: Lasagna, spaghetti, fettuccine, and ravioli
Setting 6: Tortellini, linguine, and lasagna for experts
Setting 7: Angel hair