Fresh Egg Pasta Dough Recipe

Fresh egg pasta needs just two ingredients: 00 flour and eggs. The recipe below makes enough for four people and works with both a pasta machine and a rolling pin, though a machine will give you more consistent sheet thickness.

Ingredients

• 500g 00 soft-wheat flour
• 5 fresh eggs
• A small amount of cold water

Alternatives

For a slightly firmer dough with more bite, replace the 500g of 00 flour with 250g of 00 flour and 250g of durum wheat semolina flour. For an egg-free version, replace the 5 eggs with 250ml of water.

Making the Dough by Hand

Tip the flour onto a clean surface or into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into the well and add a small splash of cold water. Using a fork, gradually work the flour into the eggs from the inside of the well outward, then bring the dough together with your hands.

Knead the dough firmly for around 10 minutes until it is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. If it feels too dry, add water a few drops at a time. If it is sticking to your hands, dust with a little flour. Once ready, cut the dough into four equal pieces. This makes it easier to work with at the rolling stage.

Rolling Pasta Sheets

Set your pasta machine thickness dial to 0. Take one piece of dough and pass it through the smooth rollers. Lightly flour both sides of the sheet, fold it in half, and pass it through again. Repeat this several times until the sheet is smooth and even with a regular shape.

Once the sheet is consistent, cut it in two and lightly flour both sides. Now begin working through the thickness settings, passing the sheet through once at each setting: 1, then 2, then 3, and so on until you reach the thickness you need. For fettuccine, setting 5 is recommended. For tagliolini, use setting 7. For very fine sheets (ravioli or delicate filled pasta), set the machine to 9 and pass the sheet through twice.

Fit your chosen cutting attachment to the machine and pass the sheet through to cut it into shape.

Drying and Cooking

Fresh pasta can be cooked immediately or left to dry for at least an hour on a pasta drying rack before cooking or storing. Cook in a large pot of boiling water, allowing around 4 litres per 500g of pasta. Fresh pasta cooks quickly, typically in two to three minutes depending on thickness.

Tips

• Use eggs at room temperature, not straight from the fridge.
• Do not add salt to the dough during preparation.
• The dough is ready when it does not stick to your fingers.
• If the rollers will not cut the sheet cleanly, the dough is too soft. Knead in a little more flour.
• If the machine will not take in the dough, it is too dry. Add a small amount of water and knead again.
• Cook pasta in plenty of water: around 4 litres per 500g.