Pasta Making with Judy: Homemade Pasta 101
Homemade past is such a treat and, once you master the basics, it's surprisingly easy and fun to make. This step-by-step picture tutorial will walk you through all the details of how to make a perfect batch of delicious homemade pasta.
There's nothing like homemade pasta. Most of the dried pasta options in our local markets is made simply from flour and water. Fresh homemade pasta is made with eggs instead of water, boosting the flavor and the nutritional value by adding protein and vitamins A and D.
And, honestly, making pasta is just not that hard. In fact, it's really quite easy, something I just recently learned from my friend Judy, the pasta making queen.
Judy lives in Southern California, so I only get to cook with her a couple of times a year when we visit. A couple of years ago, I asked Judy to walk me through the ins and outs of homemade pasta making while I took pictures each step of the way, and she graciously obliged.
This step-by-step tutorial will walk you through the process from start to finish. Below that you'll find my favorite recipe for homemade pasta dough.
Happy pasta making!
How to Make Homemade Pasta: A Step-by-Step Picture Tutorial
Dump 1 ¾ cups of flour onto a pile in the center of a clean work surface. Create a well in the center of the flour and crack in 1 egg and 6 egg yolks, and add 2 teaspoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon of milk.
Whisk the eggs around in the center of the flour to break them up and begin to incorporate them into the flour.
As you whisk the eggs, gradually pull flour into them. Continue to whisk the eggs, gradually pulling more and more flour into them, until a soft, shaggy dough begins to form. This will take several minutes. At this point, it's unlikely that all of the flour has been incorporated, which is ok.
Using your hands and a dough scraper, continue to work the dough to bring it together. Once you've incorporated enough of the flour to form something that resembles dough, begin kneading by folding the dough on itself, flattening it out, and folding it again.
The dough will be soft at first; as you knead, incorporate more and more of the flour. Continue until you have a smooth elastic ball of dough that is not sticky at all, but not so dry that it's cracking. This will take at least 10 minutes of kneading. If you slice the dough with a sharp knife, you should see very few air bubbles.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes (and up to 2 hours) at room temperature. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours; bring to room temperature before continuing.
Unwrap the dough and cut it into 4 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time, and keeping the remaining dough covered in plastic wrap, flatten the dough out a bit with your hands so that it's thin enough to fit through you pasta machine.
Set the past machine to the widest setting (usually marked "0"), and feed the dough through the pasta roller. Repeat 10-12 times; for the first 6 or 8 times, fold the dough over on itself before feeding it back through the rollers.
This process will help complete the kneading process, strengthening the gluten in the flour and giving the pasta a chewier texture.
Continue to feed the dough through the machine, gradually changing the settings to thin the pasta. Turn the dial to "2", and run the dough through the machine a couple of times.
Turn the dial to "3", and run the dough through the machine a couple of times, etc. Continue to change the dial settings until the pasta is as thin as you want it to be. I like my pasta on the thicker side, so rarely roll it past 4 or 5.
Judy has an electric pasta maker, allowing her to pinch the ends of the dough together and use both hands to feed it through the machine conveyer belt style. If you have a machine with a hand crank, you won't be able to do this, as you'll need one hand free to turn the crank.
Now feed the long sheet of thinned pasta through the cutting rollers of your machine. Use kitchen sheers to cut the strands of pasta into the length you prefer. Toss the noodles with a bit of flour to keep them from sticking together and place in little piles on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pasta dough.
Ta-Da! Gorgeous little piles of fresh homemade pasta, ready for cooking.
Cook the pasta immediately or let it sit for an hour or two to dry slightly. Fill a large pot ⅔ of the way full with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the boiling water and then add the pasta. Let cook for approximately 2 minutes. Drain and serve.
At the end of our pasta making tutorial, Judy and I made a big pot of homemade marinara with Italian Sausage to accompany our homemade pasta.
Then the four of us - Judy and her husband Jeff, myself and my husband Steve - dug in. And, I have to say, there's something incredibly satisfying about a plate full of pasta and marinara that you've created from scratch.
A few of my favorite ways to serve homemade pasta:
- Pasta Bolognese
- Miso Buttered Pasta with Salmon
- 20-Minute Garlic Chipotle Pasta
- Slow Cooker Short Rib Pasta
- Vegetarian Spaghetti Carbonara
- Chicken Piccata
- Pasta in a Lemon Caper Sauce with Sausage and Spring Vegetables
- Homemade and Meatballs and Marinara
- Spinach Pasta with Simple Baked Cod and Agrodolce
The pasta machine I use:
Homemade Pasta Recipe
Homemade past is such a treat and, once you master the basics, it's surprisingly easy and fun to make. Here's how to make a perfect batch of delicious homemade pasta.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 6 large egg yolks + 1 whole egg
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Dump the flour onto a pile in the center of a clean work surface. (*See note)
- Create a well in the center of the flour and crack the egg and egg yolks into the center. Add the olive oil and milk. Whisk the eggs around in the center of the flour to break them up and begin to incorporate them into the flour.
- Continue to whisk the eggs, gradually pulling more and more flour into them, until a soft, shaggy dough begins to form. This will take several minutes. At this point, it's unlikely that all of the flour has been incorporated, which is ok.
- Using your hands and a dough scraper, continue to work the dough to bring it together. Once you've incorporated enough of the flour to form something that resembles dough, begin kneading by folding the dough on itself, flattening it out, and folding it again. The dough will be soft at first; as you knead, incorporate more and more of the flour. Continue until you have a smooth elastic ball of dough that is not sticky at all, but not so dry that it's cracking. This should take about 10 minutes. It's important to not skimp on the kneading time. If you slice the dough with a sharp knife, you should see very few air bubbles.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours; bring to room temperature before continuing.
- Unwrap the dough and cut it into 4 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time, and keeping the remaining dough covered in plastic wrap, flatten the dough out a bit with your hands so that it's thin enough to fit through you pasta machine. Set the past machine to the widest setting (usually marked "0"), and feed the dough through the pasta roller. Repeat 10-12 times; for the first 6 or 8 times, fold the dough over on itself before feeding it back through the rollers. This process will help complete the kneading process, strengthening the gluten in the flour and giving the pasta a chewier texture.
- Continue to feed the dough through the machine, gradually changing the settings to thin the pasta. Turn the dial to "2", and run the dough through the machine a couple of times. Turn the dial to "3", and run the dough through the machine a couple of times, etc. Continue to change the dial settings until the pasta is as thin as you want it to be. (I usually stop at 4 or 5 because I like my pasta on the thick side.)
- Now feed the long sheet of thinned pasta through the cutting rollers of your machine. Use kitchen sheers to cut the strands of pasta into the length you prefer. Toss the noodles with a bit of flour to keep them from sticking together and place in little piles on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pasta dough.
- Cook the pasta immediately or let it sit for an hour or two to dry slightly. Fill a large pot ⅔ of the way full with water and bring to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the boiling water and then add the pasta. Let cook for approximately 2 minutes. Drain and serve.
Notes
The traditional way to make pasta is to mix up the dough on the countertop, but honestly, I almost always do it in a large mixing bowl. Follow the same procedure of making a well in the center of the flour, adding the eggs, milk and olive oil, and whisking it together. Mixing up the dough in a bowl just contains the mess. As soon as the dough comes together, dump it out onto the countertop to knead.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 0Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
Anne Murphy says
Oh, I love the tutorial! Years ago I was given a pasta maker (which I wanted) and had no idea what I was doing... didn't even understand the difference between dry and fresh, and kept trying to make it like commercial dry spaghetti... I have made it more successfully since, but a post like this would have saved me so much trial and error!
Jacque Hastert says
We love making this recipe at home. It brings the whole family into the kitchen and we make so many memories while making a huge mess to clean up. Worth every minute!
Barb says
Yumm! What a great article, wonderful instruction and beautiful photos! Looks like lots of fun!
RebeccaBlackwell says
Thank you Barb! Cooking with Judy is always a blast and her pasta making skills are 👏👍🏻 ! xoxo