Making fresh pasta is one of my favorite things to do, it is therapeutic to me. And of course there’s the bonus of a massive texture and flavor difference between fresh pasta and dried.

What is the difference?

The difference between fresh pasta and the pasta you buy at the grocery store can be twofold. The first and most obvious difference is that pasta from the store is typically dried. Homemade pasta can be cooked fresh. The second difference is the addition of egg. Most dried pastas you buy in the store are made from flour and water whereas fresh pasta will be made with flour, egg, water and oil. One other thing to note is that we will be using semolina flour to make our fresh pasta. Semolina flour is made with Durham Wheat which is a different variety of wheat than you would use for bread making. It is softer and ground more coarse.

So how do I make it?

Making fresh pasta is simple! You start by making a mound of semolina flour. Use your fist to make a divot in the middle of the mound. We call that the “well”. In your well you will place the egg, yolks, water and oil. Now that everything is together, start mixing! Using a fork, scramble up the eggs, oil and water until it is homogeneous. Slowly begin incorporating flour from the edges of your well. Once you have made a paste like consistency, you can start mixing with your hands! Use your clean hands to knead the dough together. This dough is going to be stiff and firm to work with, but you want to get it to a nice smooth ball. If you need to add a little bit more water to get the dough to come together, add it 1 tbsp at a time.

Let’s Roll

Once the dough has formed, let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes for the gluten to relax and then you are ready to roll! I have a Pasta Rolling Attachment for my kitchen aid, but you can also use a Rolling Pin or Hand Roller to roll out the pasta sheets. Just be aware that hand rolling is a LOT more work. I like to cut my dough in quarters to make rolling out a bit easier. Flatten the dough so that it is thin enough to fit in your pasta roller. I like to roll out my pasta on level 1, then 2, 4 and finally 6. If you want a more in depth look at how to roll out pasta I have a quick video on my Instagram.

Once the pasta is all rolled out into sheets, you are ready to cut it into noodles! I like to use a Bench Scraper to cut thick noodles. If you have a pasta cutter attachment for the kitchen aid like fettuccini or spaghetti, you can run the sheets right through to make your noodles.

Now you are ready to make some dinner! Boil your pasta in salted water for 3-4 minutes or until it is just tender. Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried. Toss with your favorite sauce and you are ready to eat. Enjoy!

Easy Semolina Pasta

Fresh pasta made with semolina flour.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 3

Resting time 10

Course Dinner, Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 portions

Ingredients

2 Cups Semolina Flour
¼ tsp Salt
1 Egg
2 Egg Yolks
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
2-3 Tbsp Water

Instructions

On a clean flat surface like your countertop or cutting board, place the semolina flour and salt in a pile. Make a well in the middle using your fingers. You want the pile to look like a volcano with a crater at the top!
in the middle of the well, put the egg, yolk, olive oil and water. Mix the wet ingredients with a fork until mostly combined then slowly start to incorporate the semolina flour little by little, trying to maintain the well shape.
Once you have incorporated most of the well into the wet ingredients you can start kneading with your hands. If the dough seems dry, feel free to add another Tbsp of water. The dough should be very firm and difficult to knead. You will get your arm workout in! Knead the dough until it is one smooth, firm ball. Wrap with plastic and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
If you have a pasta roller, that would be easiest, but if you don't, a rolling pin will work. To roll out the pasta, separate the dough into four even portions. Using your rolling pin, roll the dough out until it is thin enough to run through your pasta roller. If you don't have a pasta roller you will continue with the same steps but roll out by hand.
On the widest setting, roll out the pasta then fold it in half on itself and roll it through again. Do this step at least three times. Once you have done at least three folds and your pasta is not crumbly, put your roller on stage 2, roll out the pasta, then stage 4, roll it through, and finally stage 6. for the last stages you do not need to fold the pasta over, just run it through the machine.
once all your pasta is rolled into sheets you can cut it to whatever shape you would like. If you have a fettuccini or spaghetti cutter, cut the sheets to the length you want your noodles then run them through. I like to use a bench scraper and cut thick hand cut tagliatelle style noodles.
Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and drop in your fresh pasta. Boil for 3-5 minutes. Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta. Use with whatever sauce you would like and enjoy!!