How to make homemade pasta from scratch
If you are time poor then buying a packet of pasta is a no brainer. However, if you have a little bit of time free on a weekend, or are entertaining. There is nothing better than homemade pasta from scratch.
It really is easy to make homemade pasta from scratch. You don’t need any fancy pasta machines either just some patience.
Homemade Pasta From Scratch
Ingredients
- 400 g Pasta Have some extra for dusting
- 4 Eggs Free Range
- 1 Tbs Olive Oil Extra virgin
Instructions
- Mixing - Pile flour on a clean benchtop, then make a well in the centre. Crack eggs into the well. Add a pinch of salt. Lightly mix together with a fork. Add oil, then, using your fingertips, gradually combine with the flour mixture. The mixture will still be in rough pieces at this stage. Please the pieces of dough until it comes together and is smooth. You can also complete this step by using a food processor.
- Kneading - Knead the dough on a lightly floured benchtop for 10 minutes to develop the gluten. Push the dough away from you with the heel of your hand, then fold it back on to itself and repeat. The dough will slowly become smooth and silky.
- Resting - Now take a break! Divide the dough into two portions and wrap both in plastic wrap. Rest the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Rolling - The easiest way to use a pasta rolling machine, but the dough can also be rolled out by hand. It is much easier to hand roll smaller portions of dough and keep the remainder wrapped tightly in plastic. Dust the benchtop with extra flour. Roll out the dough to a long rectangular shape (rather than around as you would do for pastry). For a great result, fold and roll three to four times to laminate the dough - This replicates the way pasta is fed through a rolling machine.
- Cutting - Roll out dough in a long rectangle to your desired thickness. Cut it in long strips or roll up and slice, then unroll the strips Pasta can be left for 30 minutes to dry slightly before. Pasta can be left for 20 minutes to dry slightly before cooking. This helps the pasta keep its shape and prevents it from sticking together while it cooks.
Notes
Seven ways to shape and flavour your homemade pasta from scratch
I love pasta, pretty much any dish I can come up with. Although sometimes I really like some different flavours and shapes. Here are seven ways you can experiment with flavours and shapes.
Saffron
Increase flour by 2-3 tbs. Soak 1 tsp saffron thread in 2 tbs boiling water. Add with the eggs.
Spinach
Squeeze excess liquid from 3/4 cup cooked chopped spinach and add to the flour. You may need to increase the flour by 1-2 tbs to balance the extra moisture.
Orecchiette
To make these little “ears”, cut small pieces from your dough then shape by dragging a flat-bladed knife across the pieces so they curl.
Tomato
Add 2 tbsp tomato paste with the eggs. Add a little extra flour.
Herb
Add 1/4 cup chopped herbs to the flour with the eggs. Alternatively, place continental parsley leaves on the dough. Fold over and roll to the parsley is inside the dough.
Farfalle (bows)
Cut the rolled dough into 4 x 5 cm pieces, then pinch the centre together until it sticks to form the bows.
Spaghetti
Cut the filled dough into either thin or wide strips. You can also roll up the dough and slice, then shake out the strips.
