A simple tutorial and fresh pasta recipe for making homemade pasta in minutes with or without using a pasta maker. You'll never want to buy a box of dry pasta again!
Combine flour, eggs and water with your paddle attachment. You don't want the dough to be crumbly or sticky...just doughy! Add an additional tablespoon until you reach the desired consistency, mixing on speed 4.
Using your dough hook, knead for 2 minutes on speed 4.
Put your pasta roller attachment on level 1. Make a flat dough ball and feed through. I usually like to do this on speed 4...fast enough, but not too fast. Continue to place the dough through increasing the setting each time...level 2, 3, 4 and finally 5 for fettuccine. Do this with all of your dough.
Switch to your fettuccine or linguini attachment unless you're making pappardelle or ravioli. Feed the dough through, catching the noodles with your other hand and immediately place into your pot of boiling water.
Boil noodles 3 minutes & drain.
Video
Notes
Substitutions and Variations
Semolina Flour - In this recipe I only call for one type of flour and the noodles turn out beautifully. However, you can substitute half the flour with semolina flour for a more traditional noodle. Semolina flour is a more coarsely ground wheat and has a yellowish color. Most local supermarkets keep this in stock.
Gluten Free - Feel free to experiment with gluten free flour mixes for a homemade gluten free noodle. Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour is a great substitution.
Arugula Pasta - Add 5 ounces of arugula to a food processor. Combine with flour, eggs, salt and water.
Spinach Pasta - Add 5 ounces of spinach to a food processor. Combine with flour, eggs, salt and water.
Consistency
Dough should not be at all sticky when you run it through your pasta maker or it will stick to the machine. If your dough feels sticky sprinkle lightly with flour.
If your noodles end up a little crumbly or gummy it is most likely because the dough is under developed and needed a little more kneading.
You can let your pasta dough rest for 30 minutes after kneading to let the gluten relax. Letting the gluten relax after kneading makes for a loser dough and is easier to mold into more intricate noodle shapes.
By Hand
If you are rolling the pasta dough out by hand, use a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough our very thinly. Don’t worry about too much extra flour as it will shake off as you cut the pasta or rinse off in the boiling water when cooking.
How to Store Fresh Pasta
To Dry -After the pasta is cut or pressed, hang over a drying rack or lay out on the counter with plenty of space between each noodle and let air dry. (30 minutes at a minimum but can take up to 12-24 hours.) Turn the noodles periodically to keep them from sticking to the surface they are on. You can also cover them with a towel to keep any dust from settling on them while they dry. Store in an airtight container.
To Refrigerate - Place fresh noodles on a baking sheet for 2-3 minutes. Dust with flour and loosely fold them into nests. Allow them to dry another 30 minutes. Place in an airtight container and store refrigerated 2-3 days.
To Freeze - Store in an airtight container. Keeps well up to three months. To Use: Add frozen pasta to a pot of salty boiling water and prepare al dente.