Basic Pasta Dough without a pasta machine

Prep: 15 min (plus resting time)

Serves: 8

Difficulty:

Cuisine:

Saved:

Italian

207

Recipe by: Australian Eggs

Learn how to make basic pasta dough, then enjoy fresh pasta dishes like fettuccine, lasagne and ravioli. This silky smooth egg pasta is easy to make with or without a pasta machine.

Credit: Whisk Media Group

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Basic Pasta Dough without a pasta machine

Ingredients:

Base egg pasta

3 cups (450g) ‘00’ flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp salt

4 eggs (60g each)

1 egg yolk

2 tsp olive oil

Fettuccine

Pasta dough recipe up to step 4

Lasagne sheets

Pasta dough recipe up to step 4

Method:

Base egg pasta

Spoon flour and salt onto a clean work surface in a circular mound. Make a deep well in the centre
Crack eggs, egg yolk into the flour and drizzle in oil. With a fork, whisk eggs dragging the flour from the sides. Continue until all the flour has been incorporated and dough forms a sticky shaggy dough
Using floured hands, knead the dough together, bringing any flour from the bench to form a firm but sticky dough
Sprinkle a little more flour on the bench and knead the pasta by pushing down and forward. Continue for 5-10 minutes or until the dough is silky smooth, elastic and springs back when pressed with a finger. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature

Fettuccine

Once the dough has finished resting, cut into 4 portions and cover with tea towel to keep moist
Dust kitchen bench with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out one portion of the dough into a long strip. With each roll, lift the dough up, re-dust, and flip it over. Continue until you have a long, thin strip around 1 mm thick. Pasta should be strong enough to be lifted off the countertop but thin enough for you to see the outline of your hand through it. Cut rolled out pasta sheets in half
To cut into fettucine strands, bring ends to meet in the centre. Repeat this again. Cut into 1cm wide strips. Separate strands and place onto a lightly floured baking tray. Repeat with remaining pasta dough

Lasagne sheets

Once the dough has finished resting, cut into 4 portions and cover with a tea towel to keep moist. Take out one portion and cut this into two
Dust kitchen bench with flour. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into approx. 45cm long strips. With each roll, lift the dough up, re-dust, and flip it over. Pasta should be strong enough to be lifted off the countertop but thin enough for you to see the outline of your hand through it
Trim ends and cut rolled pasta sheets into sections to fit the size of your lasagne dish. Place onto a floured tray. Repeat with remaining pasta dough portions. Allow lasagne sheets to dry for around 15 minutes before using

Tips & Hints:

‘00' flour is a soft wheat flour with a medium grade of gluten. It is perfect for pasta and cakes. If not available in your supermarket, substitute with plain flour.
Should the dough be difficult to stretch, re-cover with cling film and rest for a further 15-30 min.
Pasta dough can be made a day in advance. Wrap well in cling film and refrigerate. Remove from fridge and bring back to room temperature before rolling.
Flour quality can vary, if dough is too dry, add 1 tbsp of water at a time, kneading between each addition until dough is smooth and silky. Alternatively, if too sticky, add more flour in the same way.
Freeze leftover egg white in a sealed container for up to three months. Use in omelettes, pavlovas and baking.
Fresh pasta dough can be frozen for up to two months. Wrap in cling film and place inside an airtight container. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before rolling. Dough may change in colour due to oxidation.