Remember back at the beginning of quarantine when I tried to test a homemade pasta dough recipe by hand and pretty much killed my arms? Turns out that recipe used WAY too much semolina pasta and I was sore for daaaays. Months later, I'm pleased to announce I have since bought a pasta attachment for my kitchen aid AND, more importantly, fixed the recipe 😅.
As I'm sure you're aware by now, the Pacific Northwest has been absolutely smothered with smoke for the past week aka we couldn't go outside. Normally, this is't the worst because you can hang out with other people inside and go to other indoor places, like restaurants and movie theaters....Oh wait 😷. Here in Seattle we're still in an indefinite Phase 2 of quarantine which appropriately but rather seriously impairs indoor options outside of our own home.
My point: What did I do to entertain myself while stuck inside? Lots of puzzles, zooming with friends, a replay of Skyrim, and ALL the homemade pasta making. I even made three cheese ravioli from scratch! Recipe for that to come but let's not get ahead of ourselves. First up, the basics of homemade pasta dough.
Did you know you only need 4 ingredients? Who knew! Well 5 actually if you add semolina flour to the dough but you totes don't have to. Regular AP flour works just fine or if you were lucky enough to snag a bag of "00" flour before the covid hoarding started definitely use that. It gives the pasta silkier finish with that al dente bite.
Also, I strongly suggest a pasta machine of some sort. I use a pasta roller attachment for my kitchen aid. You can roll it out by hand but that takes some serious effort and time. If you're feeling up to the challenge by all means go for it but I found I couldn't get the pasta thin enough that way. Plus my upper arms and the palms of my hands were aching for days after. Best avoid that situation amiright?
For step by step instructions on how to make homemade pasta dough, scroll down for the recipe!
Homemade Pasta Dough Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: About 1 pound 1x
Description
Make your own pasta with just 4 ingredients. So tasty you'll never buy store-bought pasta again!
Ingredients
- 2 cups "00" flour or unbleached, all purpose flour + ½ cup semolina flour*
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine all ingredients with your hands until it forms a shaggy dough forms.
- Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook. Knead the dough by mixing on a low speed for 8-10 minutes, until dough is smooth, slightly shiny, and somewhat elastic.
- Tightly cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. At this point, you can refrigerate the dough for up to 1 day before use.
Roll out the Dough
- Fit the stand mixer with the pasta roller attachment. Sprinkle the attachment and the surface next to it with a little flour (I like to use a mixture of "00" flour and semolina flour).
- Remove plastic wrap from the dough. Cut into 4 equal portions. Choose 1 portion to work with at a time and immediately cover the rest of the dough with the plastic wrap. It will dry out extremely quickly otherwise!
- Form the dough portion into an oval/rectangular shape. Using the adjustment knob, set the pasta roller attachment on "1", the widest setting. Feed the pasta dough through the roller, catching it with your hands as it rolls through. Roll the dough through the roller 2 more times.
- Fold the dough so the two ends meet each other. Then fold it in half lengthwise. This will help make your pasta sheet longer and more rectangular. Still on the widest setting, run the folded dough through the roller one more time.
- Now you have your pasta sheet! Continue to the roll the sheet though the attachment, gradually adjusting the setting by 1 each time to reach your desired thickness.* I like setting 5 or 6 for string pasta/lasagna sheets, and setting 6 for ravioli.
- Repeat with your remaining portions of pasta dough.
Cut, Cook, and Eat!
- Switch the pasta roller attachment with your desired pasta cutter attachment. Roll dough through.
- If eating immediately: Cook pasta in a large pot with salted water at a rolling boil for 1-2 minutes, until al dente. Toss with desired sauce and enjoy!
- If saving for later: Swirl the pasta into little nests or transfer to a drying rack. Let dry out for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days or freeze up to 2 weeks. If ready to cook frozen pasta, place it in the fridge to thaw for about 4-ish hours.
Notes
Alternatively, instead of semolina flour, you can use another ½ cup of "00" flour or AP flour.
I like to roll the pasta sheet through the attachment two times on levels 2 and 3, then just 1 time on 4,5 and 6.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
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