Recipe details
Ingredients
This recipe is enough for one portion of pasta, so just double up for as many as you need.
- 100g 00 flour (plus extra for dusting, or better still, semolina)
- 1 egg
If you have a pasta rolling machine, feel free to use it, but you can still make it just as easily with a rolling pin and a pasta cutter tool.
Instructions
- As always, start by preparing all your ingredients and cleaning your work surface. You can either make your pasta on a wooden board, or your work surface like I did.
- Weigh the flour and turn out into a pile on the work top and using the egg, make a well in the centre large enough to contain the egg with extra room to mix. Crack the egg into the well and flick flour into the centre to mix with the egg.
- Bring the mixture together into a ball and start to knead for around 10 minutes.
- Cover the pasta with the empty flour bowl and allow to rest for around fifteen minutes.
- Lightly dust your work surface and begin rolling your pasta, firstly lengthways, then turn and roll the other way to ensure it is rolled evenly. See below for more details on this process.
- Cut your pasta into whatever shape you like. I used the 'Blecs' pasta shapes that I learned to make at the Pasta Evangelists Masterclass. 'Blecs' meaning 'patches' as that is what they look like.
- Sprinkle lightly with flour or semolina and toss and loosen, before bringing a pan of water to the boil.
- Cook for around 3 minutes and serve with sauce or toppings of your choice.
Why make pasta from scratch?
Making pasta from scratch lets you enjoy the fun of crafting a basic kitchen essential with just a few ingredients and your hands. The end result is way more delicious than the stuff you buy at the store, and you can get creative with shapes and textures to make it your own. It's also super therapeutic and satisfying to craft!
Can I flavour my pasta?
You can get creative by adding ingredients like spinach, beet juice, tomato paste, squid ink, or herbs to your pasta dough for unique flavors and colors. You can also fill your pasta - making stuffed pasta like ravioli opens up a world of possibilities. You can fill them with cheese, meat, vegetables, or a combination of ingredients.
Do I have to consume it immediately?
If you make more pasta than you plan to use immediately, you can dry it and store it for later. Hanging strands of pasta over a pasta drying rack or laying them out on a clean surface works well.
Remember that making your own pasta can be a trial-and-error process, but it's also a lot of fun. Don't be afraid to experiment with flavours, shapes, and techniques to find your perfect homemade pasta experience!
Let's start the process!
- As always, start by preparing all your ingredients and cleaning your work surface. You can either make your pasta on a wooden board, or on your work surface like I did.
- Weigh the flour and turn out into a pile on the work top and using the egg, make a well in the centre large enough to contain the egg with extra room to mix. Crack the egg into the well and flick flour into the centre to mix with the egg, taking care not to break the wall of flour around the egg or it will spill out and make a mess
- Keep combing the egg and flour until you have a rough dough and can then start to bring together with your hands. Bring the mixture together into a ball and start to knead for around 10 minutes. Stretching with the palm of one hand, then folding over and pushing out again.
- Once you have finished kneading you should be able to push on the dough with a finger and the indentation disappears and bounces back again. At this point, cover with your empty flour bowl and leave to rest for around 15 minutes.
- Lightly dust your work surface and begin rolling your pasta, firstly lengthways, then turn and roll the other way to ensure it is rolled evenly. Once it's quite thin and becoming harder to roll, allow a quarter of the pasta sheet to hang over the edge of the work top. Lightly press against the over hang with your hip and stretch the dough on the work surface as you roll. Turning and repeating until the dough is thin enough to clearly see your fingertips when you hold it up.
- Cut your pasta into whatever shape you like. I used the 'Blecs' pasta shapes that I learned to make at the Pasta Evangelists Masterclass (you can find a minefield of pasta information and tutorials on their You Tube channel too). 'Blecs' meaning 'patches' as that is what they look like. It couldn't be easier, simply roll your pasta cutter diagonally across cutting strips about an inch in width, that roll in the opposite direction like this:
- Sprinkle lightly with flour or semolina and toss and loosen, before bringing a pan of water to the boil. Carefully lower in your pasta and simmer over a medium heat before removing with a slotted spoon. I love my pasta simple, with a good quality olive oil, salt, pepper and parmesan, but feel free to add your favourite sauces - or if you are keeping things simple then stirring through some pesto is also great!
