Description
This handmade small batch pasta recipe guides you through creating fresh, tender pasta dough from scratch using simple ingredients. The process involves mixing, kneading, resting, rolling, and drying the dough before cooking it to perfection. Perfect for a homemade Italian meal, this recipe yields delicate pasta with a smooth texture and rich flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 teaspoons water (additional as needed)
Instructions
- Prepare the flour well: On a clean surface, mound the flour reserving ¼ cup, and create a large well in the center to hold the wet ingredients.
- Add eggs and liquids: Crack the eggs into the well, then add the salt, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon of water to the eggs.
- Mix eggs with fork: Use a fork to carefully beat the egg mixture, gradually incorporating flour from the edges of the well into the eggs.
- Incorporate flour by hand: Continue pulling flour from the mound into the egg mixture until it becomes wet and doughy, then start kneading by hand.
- Adjust moisture: Add water gradually if the dough feels too dry while kneading.
- Knead dough: Knead the dough for 10 minutes until it becomes very smooth and shiny in texture.
- Rest dough: Shape the dough into a tight ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for one hour to relax the gluten.
- Roll out dough: After resting, dust a surface with flour, divide the dough ball in half, and roll each half very thinly from the center outward until you can see your hand’s silhouette through the dough.
- Rest rolled dough: Let the rolled dough rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
- Cut pasta: Roll the thin sheet into a loose tube and slice into small rows to form pasta strips.
- Dry pasta: Dry the cut pasta thoroughly for at least 30 minutes before cooking to ensure proper texture.
- Cook pasta: Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until the pasta floats to the surface, indicating it’s done.
Notes
- Use reserved flour for dusting to prevent sticking while rolling and cutting the dough.
- If dough seems too sticky, dust hands and work surface with additional flour.
- Drying pasta ensures it cooks evenly and helps prevent sticking.
- Pasta can be cooked fresh immediately or dried for longer storage.
- Adjust water amount slightly depending on flour absorption and humidity.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: handmade pasta, fresh pasta recipe, homemade pasta dough, Italian pasta, small batch pasta
