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fresh pasta

I have to admit, I’ve gotten a bit slack and have been buying dried pasta for the past few years. There’s nothing wrong with store-bought pasta – I’ve become fond of the whole wheat pasta spirals I get at my natural foods store, tossed with greens, garlic, and olive oil – but I was recently at the home of a friend and while we were talking over wine, he pulled out a disk of dough, quickly rolled it, and put together a simple lasagna with those just-made noodles. It was so good, and made me realize that I’d forgotten how good fresh pasta is. And it’s not difficult at all to make.

egg and flour for fresh pasta

Unlike pastry and bread doughs, pasta dough isn’t very fussy. You don’t really need a machine to shape the pasta, but a pasta roller really helps and it’s one of life’s great pleasure when you pull that final cut of the pasta strands out of the machine and drop them into a pot of boiling water. I have an attachment for my stand mixer, although the small hand-cranked machines are inexpensive and do a good job, too. You can handroll pasta with a rolling pin, but be prepared for a bit of a challenge if you want the dough really thin.

making homemade pasta making homemade pasta
making homemade pasta making homemade pasta

Pasta dough is simple and forgiving. It’s one of those recipes that’s more about technique than ingredients or quantities, like macarons. It’s basically only two ingredients, but because of variations in eggs, flour, and other factors, you may need to tinker with it a bit. Kind of like trying to tell someone exactly how much butter to swipe on toast, or trying to give a precise time for frying an egg to your liking – it’s impossible to give exact instructions to get it just right, but it’s very easy enough to figure out. I like the heartiness of semolina, so I use half of that, half all-purpose flour. It’s best to make the dough the day you plan to use it; if left overnight, even in the refrigerator, the dough will turn an unappealing grey color.

making homemade pasta making homemade pasta

Semolina is relatively easy to find, although you can make pasta dough without it. (Some of my favorite baguettes in France have semolina added, which gives them a creamy richness.) If for some reason your dough feels a bit dry after you’ve been kneading it for a minute, wet your hands and add that small amount of water into it. I also weigh the ingredients since it’s more accurate.

Homemade Pasta Dough

  • 7 ounces (200g) all-purpose flour
  • 7 ounces (200g) semolina
  • or 14 ounces (400g) flour
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • Mix together the flour and semolina in the bowl of a stand mixer, or mix them up and create a mound on the counter top with a crater in the center. If using a stand mixer, add the eggs to the dough and mix them together with the paddle or dough hook until well mixed. On the counter top, crack the eggs into the center of the flour and semolina. Use your fingers to gradually draw the dry ingredients into the center, mixing them with the eggs. The dough will be hard to mix at first – a pastry scraper will help you draw it all together – but eventually it will come together and be relatively smooth.
  • Knead the dough with the heel of your hand for at least three minutes until the dough is very smooth. The dough should not feel sticky. If it sticks to your fingers, knead in a small amount of flour, just enough so your fingers come away clean when you pull them away. Wrap the dough and let it sit at room temperature for an hour.
  • (You can keep the dough for several hours at room temperature.)

making homemade pasta

To roll out the pasta, on a lightly floured surface, cut the dough into six or eight pieces. Working one piece at a time, fashion each piece into a rough rectangle, then pass it through your pasta machine on the widest setting (usually #1). Fold dough in half or in thirds and pass it through again. Then fold and pass it through one more time.

making homemade pasta making homemade pasta

Continue passing the pasta through the machine, closing down the opening of the rollers a few notches with each pass (and dusting them very lightly with flour or semolina if the dough is sticking) until you’ve reached the desired thickness. Then, if you wish to make fettuccine or spaghetti, use the pasta cutter attachment to cut the sheets into the desired thickness, or cut the pasta by hand on the counter top with a chef’s knife to whatever size strands or shapes you want.

making homemade pasta making homemade pasta
making homemade pasta homemade fettuccini

Once rolled, fresh pasta should be dusted with semolina (preferably) or flour to keep it from sticking if you’re not going to cook it right away. You can lay it on a semolina- or flour-dusted baking sheet or linen kitchen towel, until ready to boil. Or drape it over a suspended rolling pin or pasta drying rack until ready to use.

making homemade pasta making homemade pasta

Once you get the hang of making fresh pasta, you can start adding your own touches to it. Experimentation is fun and even pasta that you think looks funny or doesn’t look perfect tastes pretty darned good when tossed with butter or olive oil, fried garlic, crisp bits of bacon, and some hot chili flakes. Actually, now that I mention it, I’m going to have that tonight.

pasta

Try adding some chopped fresh herbs or freshly cracked black pepper, or perhaps some saffron to the dough at the beginning, or experiment with different flours, replacing some of the wheat flour with buckwheat or whole wheat flour.


Notes: You might notice the color of the pasta dough is slightly different in the first set of pictures, when it’s being made, to the later set, when it’s being rolled in the machine. That’s attributed to the fact that it was rolled in the machine later in the day, when the light had changed.

You’ll also notice that I used the lasagna noodles uncooked in the lasagna I made. I only use uncooked noodles if using a very wet sauce, since otherwise the pasta can absorb quite a bit of the liquid, robbing the lasagna of a good deal of moisture.

I didn’t post a photo of the finished lasagna because it might prompt folks requesting a recipe, and I didn’t use one. It’s just layered with a tomato sauce I made with ground pork, spices, and a few anchovies, then the other layer was a seasoned ricotta cheese mixed with eggs and generous handfuls of chopped greens that were stewed with lots of garlic and some bacon.

making homemade pasta

Related Posts and Links

Drying Homemade Pasta, or Storing it in the Freezer (Culinate)

Bob’s Semolina for Pasta (Amazon)

How to Roll and Cut Homemade Pasta by Hand (TLC)

How to Make Homemade Pasta (Clifford A. Wright)

Colored Pasta (Italian Food About.com)

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105 comments

    • charsiew

    looks absolutely delicious…can feel it’s unctuous goodness in my belly already. anything with crispy bacon and anchovies is my kind of ideal meal on a lazy, cool day :)

    • ND

    Very cool post! One advantage of store-bought pasta is that most of the decent (Italian) brands are bronze-extruded – it is possible to make fresh bronze-extruded pasta at home, but only with fairly expensive equipment.

    • Kathryn

    I’ve been wondering about the kitchenaid pasta attachment and whether it actually worked so it’s nice to hear your vote of confidence. I am very lazy about making pasta at home – I’m far more likely to knock up a bunch of gnocchi – but I would really like to start trying again. Thanks for the encouragement!

    • Thanh @ eat, little bird

    Your recipe for pasta is quite interesting with half flour and half semolina – I have yet to try that. I also have a pasta attachment for my KitchenAid and I think it is brilliant in that it allows you to handle the pasta with both hands, which is good if you are making pasta solo.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      The pasta attachment works really well. I haven’t tried many other machines, except I used to have a hand-cranked one and it required a little bit of dexterity to grasp the pasta with your hands while turning the crank. I’ve also used mine for rolling out crackers (with semolina) and it works great.

    • Sigrid

    I’m this close to buying a hand-cranked noodle machine. What has been keeping me is the fact that I’m still conviced you need at least three hands to handle the dow and the machine, at least at the end of rolling. One to fill in the dough, one to catch the pasta coming out of the machine, and the third for cranking. No?

    • Hans

    Great post! I would advise to first take a little of the flour away, since you never know how the eggs and flour will interact. If the dough is too smooth you can still add some more flour.
    What really got me into making my own paste were those two lovely ladies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wik43wY_Z-c&feature=relmfu

    • Jordan

    Where do you find semolina in Paris? The standard grocery stores don’t seem to carry it and I even went to an organic market and with 40 types of flour they didn’t have it either…I’ve just started making my own pasta at home and it’s wonderful even with just normal flour but would love to try with the semolina!

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Grocery stores or supermarkets in Paris wouldn’t carry semolina. I get mine at one of the Indian food shops up behind the gare du Nord & it’s not very expensive. I’ve also seen it in shops that sell Arabic ingredients as well.

      Update: Oops, a few people noted that grocery stores in France do carry semolina. Scroll down to see comments about availability. – dl

    • Beth Sachs (@jamandcream)

    I really need to have a go at homemade pasta….for some reason it has scared me. Must not be defeated before I even give it a try though. I need to get the pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid

    • Sigrid

    @Jordan: I’m quite sure I found semolina (semoule) at my Monoprix. If not then at one of the bio-stores. Can’t check with the Monoprix website because it’s down but maybe try there later or look again.

    • Tanya @ Lovely Greens

    Your pasta looks amazing! Definite inspiration for a pasta meal tonight :) I remember seeing a tutorial somewhere on cutting fetticine without a machine – I’d have to do it that way myself. Apparently you roll your dough as thin as possible then roll it up into a ‘swiss roll’ before slicing it with a knife.

    • Jordan

    Thanks! I will check out the Monoprix…I just can’t wait for summer to get some good basil for pesto!

    • anuja

    i’ve recently started dabbling with fresh pasta. last time i made ravioli, although good to taste, i find the texture was a little hard. is it because i kneaded it too much or too little? the dough was fairly soft though.

    • John

    Wondering why you’re not using 00 flour, I thought that was generally preferred for pasta?

    • Ana_ILTdP

    I want to make pasta since a long time ago, but first I didn’t have space and time, now, what I don’t have is a real excuse ;) I hope I can make this recipe! Thanks a lot!!

    • Kim

    I love preparing fresh pasta. I do it for a couple of moths now. But I have to admitt, I never tried a recipe with flour and semolina, just one or another. I shall give a try to this recipe!

    • sandra

    Am I right in thinking you use semolina to beef up the strength of the flour?
    I confess to being more of a bread baker, I’ve been having problems with the softer flour we seem to be getting in Spain recently and I decided to try an experiment. I have ground some dried Duram wheat pasta and intend to add that to the flour mix and see what happens. Hoping for a loftier loaf…..am also going to try vinegar, lecithin and egg in different batches to compare. Any thoughts?

    • kate hill

    Bravo David! my grandmother taught me this same method when I was in my 20’s. Her ration for handcut noodles was based on one egg per person, just like your recipe. . She used a broom stick to roll out the dough into a thin circle; then after a heavy sprinkle of flour, lightly rolled the dough around the broomstick, slid the broomstick out and cut it in narrow ribbons. No machine needed, I still do it this way. Takes about 10 minutes start to finish!

    Whipping up a batch of fresh homemade pasta at a moment’s notice is child’s play and the bragging rights are a great return for a small investment of time and practice. thanks for passing this on!

    • john personna

    My favorite is the buckwheat substitution … though I forget now the ratio.

    • Amber

    Wonderful!
    Delicious photos.

    • sdoublait

    It is uncanny how much your posts answer my current food questions. Homemade pasta is my goal for 2012. As soon as I get moved into my new house, I am going to crank it out until it is perfected.
    Bookmarking this post because it is so detailed and well written.

    Thanks!!!

    • Sara

    Thank you! I have had many unsuccesssful attempts, and I can’t wait to try again with your instructions. Now I can get to work on one of my new years resolutions, mastering homemade pasta! How did you know I needed you to write a post on this?????

    • Vikki

    Thanks for posting this David. It makes me want to start making my own pasta again. I used to make Marcella Hazan’s lasagna that is in her first book — Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and it is probably the favorite dish I ever made and the most delicious. Everything is homemade, the noodles, bolognese(which cooks for 3 hours) and the bechamel sauce but so worth the time it takes. I’ll never forget the looks on people’s faces whenever they took the first bite. I made the noodles on the hand crank machine and was not an experienced cook then but her instructions made everything so easy. Her recipe is listed on Epicurious but sadly they don’t give instructions for the handmade noodles, and don’t state that they are supposed to be spinach noodles — a very important part!

    • Ann

    I like the idea of not cooking the pasta before putting it in the lasagne but are you adding enough liquid to completely cover the top layer of pasta?

    • Sharon T

    I love making my own pasta! So quick and simple that it can even been done at the last minute. While I normally make a basic flour and egg version like yours, my favorite is one that I learned in Italy. Equal parts semolina, 00 flour, and corn flour. It is so good and has a great texture. Thanks so much for the post!

    • angela

    I absolutely love fresh pasta but always thought life was too short to make it myself. However I recently acquired a pasta machine (€3 Emaus – thrift store) and am eager to use it! Excellent timing! Thanks.

    • Alex

    When you described fresh pasta tossed with olive oil, garlic, bacon, and chili flakes, I instantly got hungry!

    • Lan

    once the pasta has been formed/shaped and doesn’t require any more handling, can it then be frozen for later use?

    • Annika

    Hm. After you wrote about candy thermometers just after I got myself one, you are now writing about fresh pasta after I have been given a pasta maker for Christmas. Excellent, how you tailor your blog to my needs! ;o)

    • Nikki

    Ohhhh, been throwing around making fresh pasta for a while and you convinced me. Going to try to tackle this and macarons too, wish me luck.

    • Vicki Bensinger

    This has been on my To Do List for quite sometime. Now you’ve inspired me. Have you ever tried making whole wheat pasta? If so what flours do you recommend?

    • Juan Carlos

    I have made the pasta using a rolling pin, and although doable in a pinch, the machine makes it so much better. You need a very large surface to roll out 400+ grams of dough and rolling it very thin is difficult. The pasta does get fatter when cooked, so I’ve ended up with unsightly fat linguini.

    • Susan

    Boy, you aren’t kidding about the rolling pin method being a challange. The one time I made fresh pasta I got quite a workout pushing and pushing that pin, over and over, to get the dough rolled thin enough for my liking. It was delicious, though, and I have thought many times about making it again. Thanks for the inspiration to get me on it again..

    • Will

    I wonder how many of your readers (myself included) are going to be making fresh pasta tonight?

    • Hans

    One problem with making pasta fresca that I haven’t been able to solve is how to store the pasta for a couple of hours before cooking. Either the pasta sticks or it becomes so dry that it breaks apart. I’m very bad at making those pasta nests, so do you have any other suggestion for me?

    • Cindy

    I finally worked up the nerve just last week to make fresh lasagna noodles and what a treat! Does not even compare to store-bought. Very thin, tender, fabulous. I have the KitchenAid attachment and it worked like a charm. I didn’t use semolina but I will next time. I use it quite a bit in bread but since this was my first shot at pasta making I wanted to follow the recipe exactly.

    To all of you out there who may be a bit apprehensive about this I say GO FOR IT!

    • Jillian@TheHumbleGourmet

    Yum! I’ve always been a bit intimidated by homemade pasta, but I will definitely have to give it a try now.

    • Zee

    No brand can beat the awesomeness of home made pasta

    • Heidi @ Food Doodles

    Looks fantastic! I love making pasta – it’s amazingly delicious compared to any thing store bought, and much more filling I’ve found. I haven’t tried a lasagna with my fresh noodles though – I’ll have to try it soon :D

    • Tags

    Marcella Hazan says in her book “Marcella Cucina” that hand rolled pasta is best, and gives instructions on how to do it.

    Fortunately, there is a video that shows someone pretty much following her instructions to the letter here.

    • Stile Mediterraneo Cooking Italy

    Oh David! making fresh tagliatelle pasta is one the most relaxing and fun things we have in Italy.
    Making fresh tagliatelle in my home region, Puglia, is even easier than the tagliatelle you made. In Puglia and all other Southern Italian regions we make all fresh pasta (even tagliatelle) without eggs and only with water and semolina.
    This because our cuisine is much lighter than in the North of Italy: we only use eggs for the gnocchi or for the stuffed pasta (ravioli).
    I think this is great as it can be quite hard to get the right dough, using eggs, as the texture changes depending on the egg size.
    But any fresh pasta is delicious as there is nothing better than eating the pasta you made yourself!
    Buona pasta!

    • Edwina

    David, this is so beautiful. Since we now have gluten, egg and corn allergies in the family, I can no longer do this…my pasta machine is all lonely in a dark corner of the cupboard…if only there was a great gluten and egg free version…

    • Heike

    Thanks David… looks delicious… I’m starving :)

    • Alana D

    I am so very impressed by ppl who make their own pasta,great job!

    • Joan

    I use Marcella Hazan’s recipe. I love her tip for how long to knead the dough: until it feels like a baby’s skin.

    • Keefieboy

    I’ve never attempted making pasta because every recipe I’ve ever seen calls for 00 Durum wheat flour and I ain’t never seen that not nowhere. But 50/50 semolina and normal flour? Hell yeah, I can do that! Might even go and buy myself a machine…

    • K@rsten

    For the last couple of years, I have been making fresh pasta. This Saturday, I will have another ravioli-session with one of my cooking-mates.
    We have been making a mushroom-ricotta-parmesan filling before, as well as a ricotta-parmesan-mozarella-ham filling.
    But would you (or your readers) maybe have some nice suggestions for another ravioli-filling?

    • Deanna

    The other option for mixing the dough is to do it in a food processor. Or at least that’s how we did it in culinary school. I think it was add the flour and the egg yolks, then drizzle in water until a ball formed. It has been awhile since I’ve made pasta and I can’t remember the specifics.

    • Erica

    Are eggs always required in the recipe? To me that says, egg noodles…those nasty things you eat with school lunchroom beef stroganov.

    • lorenzo

    David–I have a question. Like yourself, I love the simplicity of making fresh pasta: it’s just the egg, flour & salt; a wonder. Some recipes call for a bit of oil. What does the oil do? Is pasta with a touch of oil more appropriate for some sugo’s than others?

    BTW, Monterey Market in Berkeley now sells in bulk 00 (double zero) pasta flour–the Italian designation for flour intended for pasta–which works very nicely.

    –lorenzo

    • Kaili

    Any tips on how to store the fresh pasta and can it be stored in the freezer?

    I would always use self-made pasta sheets uncooked in a lasagne or in canneloni. Cooking the fresh tagliatelle goes really fast, it only takes a few minutes in simmering water.

    I have the machine that is attached to the table or kitchen counter, but find it really difficult. Where is the machine attached to on the photos?

    A tip for anyone thinking of buying a machine – please check that you have a space at your kitchen counter or table edge deep enough to attach it.

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    Deanna: You certainly could, although my food processor has 5 various parts and the clean-up…!

    Erica: There are people that only use water to make pasta. A few previous commenters mentioned that’s what they do.

    Keefieboy: I’ve only seen Italian 00 flour once in Paris, and I can’t remember where, but I know from working in a restaurant that made a lot of fresh pasta everyday that you can make very good pasta without it.

    Juan: I would divide it into pieces if rolling it by hand. You’re right, that’s a lot of roll at the same time.

    Kaili: I have the KitchenAid pasta attachment, and that’s what it’s attached to. I like it a lot, however it’s a bit of an investment.

    • Julie @BananasForBourbon

    I just made fresh pasta yesterday! How about that. I did a white whole wheat flour and semolina flour mix. It turned out delicious. And it was the first time using my new pasta KitchenAid attachment set. I’ve only made pasta by hand-rolling/cutting previously. It’s like learning to drive a car with a manual transmission and then switching to an automatic a year later. I have such a higher appreciation for the mechanized roller than if I have never attempted pasta by hand. I see much more pasta in my future. I especially love the sound of that lasagne. Maybe I’ll develop my own recipe. Thanks for the inspiration! ;)

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      One thing great about lasagne is that it’s hard to go wrong. I like a lot of greens in mine and I had some leftover ground pork to use up (in fact, most of it was using leftovers) – and it went well with the homemade pasta. The other good thing about lasagne with fresh noodles is that it doesn’t really matter how perfect they look.

    • Phyllis Kirigin

    Yes, David, who doesn’t love pasta, especially homemade? Dried is good, but there is a delicacy and silkiness to the homemade. As an avid pasta maker, let me add just a couple of suggestions. Instead of hanging the newly cut pasta ribbons to dry, dredge them in a little semolina or flour, gather them up in small bundles and swirl into nests on top of a floured towel. Every now and then, scoop them up and lower them again. They’re much easier to store this way, should you make a large batch.

    The pasta sheets you would use for lasagna can also be used to make ravioli. No ravioli maker needed. Just lay out a sheet (it will be about 4 inches wide) and place heaping teaspoons of filling along one length spaced so that when you fold in half, you can cut between them with a pizza wheel to form square raviolis. Google a recipe for a pumpkin or squash filling, seal just one side with water (not egg) and simmer in water until done. Place in a brown butter and sage leaf sauce. Nothing store-bought will taste as good.

    To see what a finished lasagna can look like, check out http://sweetpaprika.wordpress.com/2010/08/15/lasagna-northern-italian-style/

    • Amber

    Beautiful photos and good tips. The first time I made homemade pasta dough, I didn’t have an attachment yet for my stand mixer. Ended up rolling it with a pin, and it was so thick that it was really only appropriate for soup. (But it was really good in soup!) I haven’t been brave enough to add any herbs or spices, but you’re inspiring me to give it a try again! Thanks!

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      It’s really hard to get pasta thin enough by hand – even though those Italian cooks and grandmothers make it look so easy (!) With a roller, it’s not at all hard to get it right. But like most things, it can take a few times to get it right. Luckily the ingredients are inexpensive and it’s not such a bad thing to have lots of pasta around…is it? ; )

    • Joan Sherman

    I just made my favorite recipe for lasagna from a 1984 Bon Appetit article by Giuliano
    Bugialli. It is a fresh green pepper and garlic pasta with a very smooth red pepper tomato sauce flavored with garlic and parsley and then layered with bechamel and parmesan cheese. Everytime I have made it for my friends and family.The response is always the same and unbeknowst to each other, they have repeated the same phrase which is “It was like heaven” It is a allot of work but quite worth it.
    The folded over thin pasta strips make for a crispy outer edge. I hope you can find the recipe. I use my pasta machine and it works very well for all my pasta needs…
    Thanks again for you wonderful blog..

    • Renee Iseson

    We love to make fresh pasta at home and also get the kids involved with cranking the machine. It’s great fun and they tend to eat more when they’ve had a hand in helping out. (Now, only if I could get them to wash the dishes!)

    I love that it takes less than 3 minutes to cook too, unlike box pasta which has to rehydrate. The only bad part is the drying of the pasta. Need one of those racks or you’ll end up with pasta strewn about your kitchen.

    Thanks for the reminder of this. Have to break out the machine soon!

    • Lemon

    I tried to make fresh pasta by myself some years ago. The result was, how to say, my family ate it, but it was not really delicious. Since then I have never tried again. This post inspires me to retry.

    • Kathy Douthit

    David….as for the semolina. Every grocery store where I live in France (le trou noir…LOL) carries it. You find it in the section where you would find preparations for polenta, and also where the pastas, rices, and dried beans are. “La semoule pour fabriquer les pâtes se trouve en supermarché sous le nom de semoule fine de blé dur.” http://www.meilleurduchef.com/cgi/mdc/forum/fr?f=recettes&id=1175613319-32456-1907 Every time I have been looking for cornmeal for polenta, I saw semoule. In particular you can find it at Leader Price. Not at all difficult to find.

    • skye

    Perfect timing! I just received a hand-crank pasta machine for Christmas and I’m chomping at the bit to try it. I made your sea-salt caramels for my father last month and they were a breeze, the instructions were very clear and concise, so I feel confident this recipe will go just as smoothly. Thanks!

    • Norine

    Thanks for the great instructions. I’ve never made pasta from scratch, so it’s now a New Year’s resolution.

    • Lise Desjardins

    Bonsoir David. Your post has inspired us but I would like to know if one can freeze pasta for later use and how. Ici au Québec, on vend des pâtes fraîches sous vide. Est-ce que ça voudrait dire que nous pourrions les conserver grâce à un appareil-maison qui retire l’air et scelle les aliments?
    Also, I got your new newsletter offer but am not sure if I got it right. It says to “click on the link” but I am not savvy sooo, I cliqued here and there but recived no confirmation I actually made it. I did read the first and hope I somehow got through. Je me croise les doigts. Merci.

    • J.T.

    I’ve only tried making homemade pasta once and I was very discouraged because the texture in the final product was very tough. I’m not sure if I kneaded it too much or if I am just too rookie. I used a pie rolling pin to roll out the dough and, like you said, it was very difficult to get the pasta very thin. Any advice?

    • Carolyn Z

    In another lifetime, I was a manager in a volunteer organization. To accommodate my then mate, I made pasta dinners for 12 completely from scratch. He said the pasta was too eggy. I loved it. Problem was, no one ever helped out with the dishes. And jewelry would be missing. In particular, a beloved ruby necklace given to me by my godparents.

    Maybe that’s why I am a keeper with someone else!

    • Tim

    David, about the color change in your photos: if your camera allows you to set the white balance, do it using a white card before each photo session. That adjusts the camera so that white is white no matter what the light is. But your food photography is wonderful, no matter what the color of the light is.

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I actually have a white balance “lens cover” that is supposed to correct that, but I haven’t tried it. Although you’re right – I should use a white balance card. However for this post, the color of the dough does change as it sits for a while. So I thought it worth pointing out the variation.

    • Kelly

    I use the same recipe, but I add a pinch of salt.

    • tomatoejane

    Hi, David, a voice in the wilderness here. All of a sudden my phone is giving me no choice but to see your blog in Mobile Device format, which wouldn’t be so bad but in that format I cannot see any comments because the ‘see comments’ button does not work. Very frustrated, because I love all the comments and your replies. Also love the pasta post. Mmmmmm!

    The mobile format was just installed and is being tweaked and will include comments. It may take a few days for the web folks to get that taken care of -dl

    • Lara

    This post coincides perfectly with my big Christmas gift — a pasta roller! I’ve been dying to make homemade ravioli, but using a wine bottle (as I’ve been known to do more than once) to roll out the pasta dough never seems to get that paper thinness I’m looking for. I’ve never used Semolina flour — can’t wait to give this a try!

    • John

    Definitely a newbie question, and probably an ignorant one, but does fresh pasta take a different amount of time to cook than dried?

    • Claudia

    You are reminding me, it’s time. It’s January – it’s perfect. I love how you deftly side-stepped, “recipe, please/”

    • Brigette

    I am looking forward to making this homemade pasta recipe. David, your posts are so inspiring, because you explain things so well, especially for an amateur cook like myself. And the photos…Gorgeous!

    • Jellybean

    I’ve always wondered about the part where after first initial rolling of the dough, it gets folded in half or thirds and fed into the roller again. Do you know why that is done?

    • Evangelina Elliott

    Aaawww….. ALWAYS read your blog with so much pleasure. Really one of my favorites. Comment before mine… I agree totally. <3

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I love that! Great video and shaping technique..thanks for sharing

    • Joy

    Great step-by-step post! Maybe this will inspire me to dust off my never-been-used pasta attachment as well! =)

    • kitchenvoyage

    Very good skills, I love all kind of pasta, if you are interested in Argentina Pasta take a look at my last post http://bit.ly/yPLOs3

    • Anna

    wow, it’s so simple, but so beautiful. i want to have what you’re having tonight too!

    • Nikki @Pennies on a Platter

    Thank you, David. You have really encouraged me to make my own pasta. I’ve always wanted to, but your photos and explanation have made it so simple. I’m excited to get started!

    • Vicki

    I’m dying to try and make whole wheat orecchiette — heard it’s great with broccoli and anchovy sauce…

    • Mallory

    It has been much too long since I last made homemade pasta. Definitely on my to-do list. But first I am going to tackle macarons for my friends b-day. I can’t wait to try out your recipe!

    • Deb

    Mom made fresh noodles (back in the days before it was pasta) with a rolling pin. She would cover the entire kitchen table with a sheet of the dough rolled out, roll it up like a cinnamon roll and then cut the strips. After letting it dry for a while she’d bring a (home canned) jar of pork shoulder chunks to a boil and then stir in the noodles. The dish made it’s own gravy from the extra flour the noodles were dusted with. Even my sis who has been a vegetarian for over 40 years still drools when she thinks of that meal. ;>

    I haven’t made noodles for years because I don’t have a big enough place to roll it out. Guess it’s time to buy another attachment for my KitchenAid. ;>

    I’ve bought fresh pasta – I find it well wrapped in the refrigerated case. I’d suppose I could store any excess the same way for a few days?

    About your new newsletter format, do we need to sign up if we’re already on your list? I have such a slow connection I’d hate to get it twice.

    • beena

    Beautiful! Your post makes me feel hungry….

    • Nicole

    That first photo makes me want to get right in my kitchen and make homemade pasta immediately. I’ve made it with a rolling pin before, but it would definitely have been better if I had a pasta roller.

    • nilda

    David: Thank you for your marvelous ideas.

    My mother used to make fresh pasta in Barcelona and she would add herbs, olives and chorizo to the dough. It tasted like paella once it was boiled and served. She served it with sangria instead of Italian wine. Oh, those fun day.

    Happy New Year!

    • Dan Toombs – The Curry Guy

    Hi David

    I’ve been making my own pasta since I was a kid so reading your post has made me quite hungry.

    Love the pictures and how you explain everything right down to the last detail. Great suggestions as well.

    I am currently ten months into a year of eating and cooking nothing but Indian food but may just have to cheat a bit and make some fresh curried pasta.

    Thanks for the post.

    Dan

    • Nari

    When you are eating fresh pasta, there’s really nothing better you can imagine eating instead of it! This is very close to the recipe I use, but I’ll try this one, too, for sure!!

    • Fay

    Hi David! I like your blog but I hope soon everybody will use only wholemeal flour! White one as dangerous as poison with no benefit.

    • Betty

    What number setting on the kitchen aid roller did you use? I’ve made fresh pasta a number of times but can never seem to get the thickness right. Thanks!

    • Liz

    Perfect timing! I haven’t gotten around to putting away the manual pasta-maker my grandma had gotten me at least 10 years ago, which has stayed deep in my pantry this whole time, until I just recently pulled it out to see if I could turn it into a residential sheeter for laminated pastry dough. That didn’t work out, but it made me realize I really should get around to making some fresh pasta with it. Your post is the final inspiration, and tomorrow there will be lasagne.

    • Lina

    Just made this for dinner and it was the first time I’ve made fresh pasta and actually saw a glimmer of hope that I’ll be competent at it some day. So thanks!

    • Kristine

    Thank you for this post! I have had recurring dreams of late that I am shopping for ingredients to make pasta dough, but frustratingly never complete the task. So I’m setting out to make ravioli from scratch, and this post will really help! Your language is delicious.

    • Cookinggeek

    Hi David, I find it difficult to find the perfect flour for homemade pasta. I know that flour should contain a lot of protein. I remember the best soup I ate was with a pasta made by my grandmother but her recipe was lost. You pasta looks exactly like hers so I will surely give your recipe to my wife :)
    Cheers

    • shelly

    Thank you! the recipe and you are very clear. Will give it a try…

    • Kate

    What a wonderful post! I had some successful experiments making gnocchi recently but I`ve yet to make fresh pasta like this! Having a pasta machine would obviously simplify things…

    • Hanna Holmgren

    Fresh pasta is the best! Excellent description! :D

    • Hanna Holmgren

    Fresh pasta is the best! Amazing description!

A

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