How to Make Fresh Pasta From Scratch

Although dried pasta is widely available from grocery stores, homemade pasta tastes so much better. Most people are put off making their own pasta as they believe it is time-consuming and difficult. This is wrong on both counts as it is quick and easy to make. It is certainly worth the effort of doing it yourself. Here is how to make fresh pasta from scratch yourself.

Ingredients for Pasta

• 10 oz/ 280 g pasta flour or plain flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 tsp salt

How to Make Fresh Pasta

1. Measure out the flour and add the salt. Mix together.
2. Tip the flour and salt onto the work surface in a heap and make a well in the middle.
3. Add the eggs and the olive oil to the centre of the well.
4. Start to bind the mixture together using your hand and working in a little more flour each time. 
5. When you have formed a solid ball of pasta dough, knead for five minutes.
6. Wrap the dough in cling film and rest for 20 minutes.
7. After resting, unwrap the dough and divide into four balls.
8. Flour your work surface and dust the dough balls with flour.
9. If you are using a rolling pin, then roll out the dough thinly. You should be able to see the work surface through the pasta. 
10. If you are using a pasta making machine. then press one ball of dough at a time into a rectangular shape with your hand.
11. Set the pasta machine to its widest setting and roll one piece of pasta through at a time. 
12. Adjust the pasta machine down a few settings and repeat. Continue to do this until you are on the second to last setting of the machine. The pasta should then be thin enough.
13. You are now ready to cut the pasta into the shapes that you want to create your perfect pasta dish. 
14. Your fresh pasta will only take minutes to cook once added to boiling water. You can then toss it in your favourite pasta sauce.

If you have made some homemade pasta, you might one to use them in one of our pasta dishes, such as lasagne, spinach and ricotta cannelloni, and creamy chicken and chorizo bake.