Handmade Pasta Recipe
Recipe information
Make Handmade Pasta in just 1h 30m. American classics including handmade pasta.
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Ingredients
Pasta Dough
For Cooking & Finishing
Pasta Dough
1. Prepare work surface and flours
On a clean work surface or in a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and semolina flour. Mound the flours and create a deep well in the center about 3 inches wide and 1–2 inches deep.
2. Add eggs and seasonings
Crack the 3 large eggs and the extra egg yolk into the flour well. Add the 1 teaspoon fine sea salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil into the eggs. Keep the walls of the well sturdy so the liquid doesn’t escape.
3. Incorporate the flour
Using a fork or your fingertips, gently beat the eggs in the center and gradually draw in a little flour from the inner walls of the well. Continue pulling in flour until the mixture becomes a shaggy dough and it’s difficult to incorporate more flour with the fork.
4. Knead the dough
Using your hands, gather the dough into a ball. Knead on the work surface for 8–10 minutes: press the heel of your hand into the dough, push away, fold it back, rotate, and repeat until the dough is smooth, elastic, slightly tacky, and springs back when pressed. If the dough is dry and crumbly, add up to 1 tablespoon water; if too sticky, dust with a little flour (up to 1–2 tablespoons).
5. Rest the dough
Shape the dough into a disk, brush lightly with a bit of olive oil to prevent drying, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 24 hours). This relaxes the gluten and makes rolling easier.
6. Divide and flatten
Unwrap the dough and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others wrapped. Flatten the piece with your hand or a rolling pin into a rough rectangle about 1/4 inch thick.
7. Roll out the dough
Using a pasta machine or rolling pin: If using a pasta machine, set it to the widest setting and feed the dough through 2–3 times, folding it in thirds between passes to build structure. Then progressively reduce thickness one notch at a time, feeding the sheet once or twice at each setting until you reach the desired thinness (~1–2 mm, typically two to three notches from the thinnest setting). If rolling by hand, roll thinly and evenly until the sheet is nearly translucent.
8. Cut the pasta
Lightly dust the sheet with semolina or flour, fold the sheet loosely into thirds (or roll up loosely) and slice to the desired width for tagliatelle (about 1/4 inch) or fettuccine (about 3/8 inch). For shapes like pappardelle, cut wider; for spaghetti, use a thin cutter or extruder. Unfurl the cut strands and hang them on a drying rack or lay them in loose nests on a lightly floured tray.
9. Dry briefly before cooking
Let the pasta rest for 10–20 minutes to dry slightly; this helps it keep its shape when cooking. Fresh pasta can be cooked immediately if preferred.
Cooking & Finishing
10. Boil the water
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add 1 tablespoon coarse salt. Use about 4–6 quarts water for the batch.
11. Cook the pasta
Add the fresh pasta to the boiling water and gently separate any strands. Fresh pasta cooks quickly: cook for 1–3 minutes depending on thickness. Start checking at about 60 seconds—pasta should be al dente (tender but with a slight bite).
12. Reserve pasta water
Before draining, scoop out and reserve 1/2 to 1 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water; this helps build a silky sauce and adjust consistency.
13. Finish with oil/butter and cheese
Drain the pasta quickly and transfer to a warm pan. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter and toss over low heat. If the pasta seems dry, add a splash of reserved pasta water (1–3 tablespoons) and toss until glossy. Add 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan and toss until the cheese melts into the sauce. Taste and adjust with salt if needed.
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