About the Process
This has to be the easiest home-made pasta recipe ever. It only takes about 10 minutes to make, is easy to work with and produces great tasting pasta. Aside from regular spaghetti or fettuccini, you can use it to make a variety of pasta dishes like ravioli, dumplings, or cannelloni. You are only limited by your imagination or desire.
Ingredients
Variation 1 (vegan)
2 cups of durum wheat semolina flour
¾ cup cold water (+ or – 1-2 tablespoons)
Variation 2 (egg noodle)
2 cups of durum wheat semolina flour
2 eggs
5-7 tablespoons of cold water
Instructions
This recipe is for a small amount of pasta. You can make as much dough as you want as long as you follow the same ratio of ingredients.
I have included two variations of this recipe. The steps are so similar that they belong together.
Variation 1:
Semolina flour and water only. If you are vegan, this is a healthy and delicious option.
Variation 2:
Semolina flour, eggs and water. This variation has a superior texture and flavor because of the egg.
Making the Dough
Variation 1
Pour the semolina flour into a mixing bowl.
Add ¼ cup of cold water.
Mix for about 20 seconds, using a fork.
Add another ¼ cup of water and mix for another 20 seconds or so.
Adding the water gradually may not be necessary but it gives you a bit more control over the consistency of the dough. The amount of water required will vary a bit so it is best not to add it all at once.
Add the remaining water, or as much as you need, and mix for about 30 seconds. The doughball should be a bit sticky but not sopping wet.
At this point, you can start working the dough with your hands rather than using the fork.
Pinch the dough with your fingers to assess the moisture level. You can roll it in a bit more semolina flour if it is too sticky. Similarly, if the dough is too firm, add a bit more water.
Move on to "Kneading The Dough"
Variation 2
Pour the semolina flour into a mixing bowl.
Add the eggs.
Mix for about 20 seconds, using a fork.
Add ¼ cup of water and mix for another 20 seconds or so.
Adding the water gradually may not be necessary but it gives you a bit more control over the consistency of the dough. The amount of water required will vary a bit so it is best not to add it all at once.
Add the remaining water, or as much as you need, and mix for about 30 seconds. The doughball should be a bit sticky but not sopping wet.
At this point, you can start working the dough with your hands rather than using the fork.
Pinch the dough with your fingers to assess the moisture level. You can roll it in a bit more semolina flour if it is too sticky. Similarly, if the dough is too firm, add a bit more water.
Kneading The Dough
This process is the same whether you are making plain pasta or egg pasta.
Once you have formed a ball, work it by pushing, flattening and folding it on a lightly floured countertop for about 10 minutes.
If you don't knead the dough enough, the pasta will fall apart. If you knead it too much, the pasta might be tough and lose its elasticity.
If the dough is too crumbly, add a bit of water and continue kneading.
If the dough too sticky, add a bit of semolina flour and continue kneading. You can simply spread the semolina flour on the counter and roll the dough ball over it.
Wrap the dough in cling-wrap and let it stand for ½ hour to an hour before using.
This dough can be refrigerated and used the next day.
Before using the refrigerated dough, allow it to rest at room temperature for one hour.
After experimenting with making homemade pasta many times through the years, I have made the following observations: 🥝 Whenever you make pasta, it is best to let it dry a bit before cooking it as it may otherwise be mushy. However, if you let it dry too long, as in days, it will take very long to cook. An hour or 2 of drying is usually sufficient. For example, fettuccini is OK after about an hour while lasagna noodles may take about 2 hours. 🥝 Another factor to consider is the thickness of the noodle. These drying times are my estimates based pasta thickness at level 4 on the pasta machine where level 1 is the widest gap setting and level 8 is the thinnest setting. If the widest setting on your pasta machine is 8 and the thinnest setting is 1, then the thickness setting I am referring to would be at level 5. |
