Ingredients
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
4 large eggs
Preparation
Step 1In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Pour flour mixture out onto a clean surface. Using your hands, make a well in center of flour. Crack eggs into well and use a fork to slowly whisk flour into eggs until a shaggy dough forms. Step 2Use your hands to knead dough until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Add flour to surface as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.Step 3When ready to roll pasta, cut dough into quarters. Wrap all but 1 back in plastic wrap and place back in refrigerator. Step 4On a lightly floured surface, roll uncovered dough into a long rectangle that’s a little less wide than the width of your pasta roller. Set pasta roller to widest setting and pass the rolled out dough through 3 times. Fold short ends of dough to meet in center of rectangle, then fold in half so that the dough is in quarters. Roll pasta dough out so the dough is once again only slightly less wide than the width of your pasta roller. If your dough is springing back too much, cover it with a kitchen towel and let rest 10 minutes. Repeat the rolling and folding process until the dough is very smooth, 3 to 4 more times. Step 5Reduce setting by one degree and run pasta dough through once, then reduce setting by one degree after each run through until you’ve reached the desired thickness of pasta. About 1/16 of an inch thick for regular pasta and 1/32 for filled pasta. (On a Kitchenaid attachment we stopped on setting 5 for regular pasta.) Run the pasta dough through twice on the last desired setting. If your pasta sheet becomes too long to work with, cut it in half. Repeat with remaining dough in refrigerator. Keep rolled out dough covered with a clean kitchen towel. Step 6Lightly flour 2 large baking sheets. Trim edges of dough to make a clean rectangle and cut pasta into desired shape. (We like 11” long and 1/4" wide for fettuccine-like pasta.) Place pasta on floured baking sheets and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let dry out for about 30 minutes. Step 7To cook: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 7 to 9 minutes. Drain and toss with desired sauce.
The best part about making your own pasta dough is getting to choose the shape. A wide, long noodle like pappardelle or fettuccine is most common and perfect for bolognese. Simply cut the dough thinner for spaghetti like noodles or keep them extra wide for lasagna noodles. The dough is the same base for ravioli as well. Stuffed pasta just needs to be rolled out thinner. Any extra dough will freeze well. Roll the dough out and cut the pasts to your desired shape. After it dries out it can be stored in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. You can boil it from frozen! Just add an extra minute or two to the cook time. Make your own marinara to complete your pasta or keep it simple and make cacio e pepe. Either way, you are about to indulge in the best pasta you’ve ever had.
Made your own pasta yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!
