Pasta is limited on the shelves at the moment, but certain types and flour, and for the most part eggs, seem to be available. That’s all you need to make homemade pasta. It also happens to be really delicious pasta that feels like a gourmet treat. If you haven’t got a pasta machine, don’t worry, you don’t need one! A rolling pin is all you really need. However, if you have a food mixer, that’s helpful too. It’ll speed things up and take out some of the work. But it’s not essential.
Fresh Pasta Ingredients
Which flour for homemade pasta?
Pasta flour or ‘00’ flour is a protein-rich flour commonly used for a smoother, chewier pasta. Semolina flour is great for a slightly rougher pasta that allows the sauce to cling to it better. Plain or all-purpose flour is somewhere in between. It makes relatively smooth pasta with a light chewiness. Since plain or all-purpose flour is what most people have in their store cupboards, I’m using it for this recipe. However you can swap it out like-for-like (same quantities) with ‘00’ or semolina flour.
Place the flour and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer. Use the dough hook and start mixing slowly until it comes together as a ball. Once it forms into a ball, increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Take the dough out of the bowl and wrap in clingfilm or wax paper. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes. Remove from the fridge and split the dough into 4 pieces. Using a rolling pin and roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough is as thin as you can possibly get it.
Lightly flour the top of the dough and roll it up loosely before slicing into ½ cm (0.2") thick strips. Use your fingers to separate out the strands and place on a plate in portions.
You can cook the pasta right away by placing in a large pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes (see below for instructions for prepping ahead and storing). This pasta is so tasty, I love to serve it simply with a drizzle of good olive oil and a sprinkling of Maldon salt. A pinch of chilli flakes adds a nice little kick too!
Fresh pasta - room temperature
Make the pasta and then distribute it on a floured baking sheet/plate/tray and sprinkle it with flour. You can leave it this way, uncovered, for a few hours. Leave for longer if you want to dry the pasta completely (see more info on drying pasta below). Time to cook from room temperature - 3 minutes.
Fresh pasta - refrigerated
If you want to make the pasta a few days ahead, you can refrigerate it too. Make the pasta then distribute it on a floured baking sheet/plate/tray and sprinkle it with flour, leave to dry for a couple of hours at room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for 2-3 days. Time to cook from refrigerated - 3 minutes.
Drying homemade pasta
Make the pasta, then distribute it on a floured baking sheet/plate/tray and sprinkle it with flour. Dry for 24 hours, until you can snap the pasta. You should try to avoid a humid environment, as the pasta won’t fully dry out. Once fully dried, store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a month. Time to cook from dried - 4-7 minutes.
Freezing homemade pasta
Make the pasta and then distribute it on a floured baking sheet/plate/tray and sprinkle it with flour. If you have it, it’s best to sprinkle it with semolina flour, as this will help stop the pasta from sticking together when you’re cooking it. If you don’t have it, just dust very lightly with regular plain/all-purpose flour instead. Time to cook from frozen - 3-5 minutes. Pro tip: If you’re able to, then open freeze the pasta in on the tray for 30 minutes (so it’s still a little bit pliable). Then split into portions and freeze in freezer bags or a sealed container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Watch how to make it
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