Homemade Hand-Rolled Egg Pasta Dough

Name: Homemade Hand-Rolled Egg Pasta Dough
Prep time: 49 min
Cook time: 3 min
Total time: 52 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2⅓ cups (300 g) 00 flour, plus a little extra for dusting if needed; 3 whole (150 g) large eggs, at room temperature (about 50 g each without shell); 1 tbsp (14 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; ½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt; 1 tbsp (15 ml) water, only if the dough is too dry to come together (optional); ¼ cup (40 g) semolina flour, for dusting the nests and tray; 4 quarts (4000 ml) water, for boiling the pasta; 2 tbsp (30 g) kosher salt, for the pasta water (Diamond Crystal; use about half if using fine salt)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A silky, golden Italian egg dough made with just 00 flour, eggs, a little olive oil and salt, rolled by hand with a rolling pin and cut into tender tagliatelle ribbons. No machine needed.

Prep: 49 min
Cook: 3 min
Wait: 40 min
Total: 1 hr 32 min
Makes: About 1 lb (450 g) fresh pasta, serving 4 as a main course

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the dough
2⅓ cups (300 g) 00 flour, plus a little extra for dusting if needed
3 whole (150 g) large eggs, at room temperature (about 50 g each without shell)
1 tbsp (14 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp (3 g) fine sea salt
1 tbsp (15 ml) water, only if the dough is too dry to come together (optional)
For rolling and cooking
¼ cup (40 g) semolina flour, for dusting the nests and tray
4 quarts (4000 ml) water, for boiling the pasta
2 tbsp (30 g) kosher salt, for the pasta water (Diamond Crystal; use about half if using fine salt)

Equipment (10)

Large work surface or board (at least 24×24 inches / 60×60 cm)
Fork
Bench scraper
Rolling pin, 30–36 inches (75–90 cm) long, ideally a thin dowel-style pin
Sharp knife or chef's knife
Plastic wrap
Kitchen scale
Large pot, 6-quart (6 L) or bigger
Rimmed baking sheet, lined with a clean kitchen towel (for drying pasta)
Spider strainer or tongs

Steps

Before you start

Clear a large, clean work surface of at least 24×24 inches (60×60 cm). Wood, marble or laminate all work.
Set the eggs out 30 minutes ahead so they are at room temperature; cold eggs make a stiffer, harder-to-knead dough.
Plan for a 30-minute rest after kneading. The dough cannot be rolled thin without it.
Weigh the flour on a kitchen scale if you can. Cup measures vary, and flour-to-egg ratio is what makes or breaks the dough.
Eggs are raw in the dough, so wash hands and surfaces after handling it.

1
Build the flour well
- Pour the 300 g (2⅓ cups) 00 flour onto your work surface and mix in the ½ tsp fine sea salt with your fingers.
- Shape the flour into a mound, then press a wide well in the center, about 5 inches (12 cm) across, with walls at least 1½ inches (4 cm) tall so the eggs cannot escape.
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Ready when: The well has thick, even walls and a visible floor of bare work surface.
Tip: Make the walls thick and sturdy. Thin spots are where the egg runs out.
2
Add eggs and oil
- Crack the 3 room-temperature eggs into the well and add the 1 tbsp olive oil.
- Using a fork, beat the eggs and oil together for about 1 minute, staying in the center and breaking the yolks.
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Ready when: The egg mixture is uniformly yellow and slightly frothy, with no streaks of white.
3
Draw in the flour
- Keep whisking with the fork in small circles, gradually pulling flour from the inner walls into the eggs.
- When the center becomes a thick, sticky paste and the walls start to slump, use a bench scraper to fold the remaining flour over the paste.
- Then use your hands to press everything into a shaggy mass.
- If there are dry floury patches that will not stick, sprinkle the 1 tbsp water (optional) over them and press again.
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Ready when: The dough forms a rough, shaggy ball that holds together and picks up most of the loose flour.
Tip: Add water only a few drops at a time. The dough should feel firm, not sticky. It is better slightly dry than wet.
4
Knead until smooth
- Scrape the work surface clean.
- Knead by pressing the dough forward with the heel of your hand, folding it back over itself, and giving it a quarter turn.
- Repeat for 8 to 10 minutes.
- The dough will start crumbly and stiff, then become progressively smoother and more elastic.
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Ready when: The dough is smooth, satiny and firm, and when you press a fingertip into it the dent slowly springs back. A cut surface shows no air pockets.
Tip: If the dough sticks to your hands or the work surface, dust with a pinch of flour. If it cracks and will not smooth out, wet your hands and keep kneading.
5
Rest the dough
- Shape the dough into a flattened disc, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- This relaxes the gluten so the dough rolls out thin without springing back.
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Ready when: The dough is noticeably softer and more pliable when pressed.
Tip: Wrap tightly. Any exposed dough dries into a crust that will crack when rolled.
6
Divide the dough
- Cut the rested dough into 4 equal pieces (about 110 g each).
- Keep 3 pieces wrapped in plastic wrap while you work with one.
- Lightly dust your work surface with a little 00 flour, and flatten the first piece into an oval with your palm.
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Tip: Unwrapped dough dries out within minutes, so keep the pieces you are not using covered.
7
Roll out the sheets
- Roll the oval with a rolling pin from the center outward, rotating the dough a quarter turn after every few passes so it stays round and even.
- As it gets larger, wrap the dough loosely around the pin, then roll it forward while pressing the pin outward with your palms to stretch it.
- Unroll, turn it, and repeat.
- Continue until the sheet is about 1/16 inch (1.5 mm) thick and about 18 inches (45 cm) across.
- This takes 3 to 4 minutes per piece.
- Lay each finished sheet on a clean towel while you roll the others, keeping unrolled pieces wrapped.
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Ready when: The sheet is thin enough that you can see the color of your hand or the work surface through it, and it is evenly yellow with no thick spots.
Tip: Dust with flour only if it sticks. Too much flour makes the dough dry and brittle, so use as little as you can.
8
Dry slightly and cut
- Let the sheets rest for about 10 minutes on the towel, until the surface feels leathery but is still flexible and not brittle.
- Meanwhile, bring the 4 quarts (4 L) water to a boil in a large pot over high heat.
- Dust a sheet lightly with semolina and loosely roll it up into a flat roll, like a scroll.
- Using a sharp knife, cut crosswise into ¼-inch (6 mm) ribbons for tagliatelle.
- Gently shake the ribbons out and toss them with a pinch of semolina.
- Repeat with the remaining sheets.
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Ready when: The sheets feel like soft suede: dry to the touch but still bendable without cracking.
Tip: If the sheet feels tacky when rolled up, wait 5 more minutes. If it cracks, it has dried too much, so cut right away.
9
Nest the pasta
- Dust the towel-lined baking sheet with semolina.
- Gather a loose handful of ribbons and twist it into a nest on the tray.
- Make about 12 nests, spacing them apart so they do not touch.
- Use right away, or let them dry for up to 30 minutes.
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Ready when: The nests hold their shape and nothing is sticking to the towel.
10
Boil and serve
- Add the 2 tbsp kosher salt to the boiling water; it should taste pleasantly salty like the sea.
- Lower in the nests, shaking each one gently so the strands separate, and stir once.
- Cook at a rolling boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Lift out with a spider or tongs, reserving ½ cup (120 ml) of the cooking water, and toss right away with your sauce.
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Ready when: The pasta floats and is tender with a slight chew in the center when you bite a strand (al dente).
Tip: Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried. Start tasting at 2 minutes, because it goes from perfect to mushy quickly.

Good to know

Tips

Egg size matters. If your eggs are smaller or larger than 50 g each, weigh them: you want about 150 g beaten egg to 300 g flour, then adjust with a spoonful of flour or water.
Do not rush the rest. A 30-minute rest is the difference between dough that fights back and dough that rolls out easily.
Roll thinner than seems right, since the pasta nearly doubles in thickness when cooked.
Cook in plenty of well-salted boiling water so the strands stay separate and do not stick together.

Make ahead

"Wrap the kneaded dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate for up to 24 hours; let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling. Cut pasta can also be dried on the tray for up to 2 hours at room temperature, or frozen (see storage)."

Storage & reheating

"Uncooked nests: refrigerate in an airtight container, dusted with semolina, up to 2 days. Freeze: place nests on a tray until solid (about 1 hour), then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months; cook straight from frozen, adding about 1 minute to the cooking time. Wrapped dough keeps 24 hours in the fridge. Cooked pasta is best eaten immediately; leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge and can be reheated in a skillet with a splash of water or sauce over medium-low heat."

Substitutions

00 flour → All-purpose flour. Works well, with a slightly chewier, less silky bite. You may need an extra teaspoon of water.
semolina flour → Cornmeal or extra 00 flour. Semolina's coarse grain prevents sticking best, but fine cornmeal or flour works for dusting.
extra-virgin olive oil → Leave it out. The dough works without oil. Oil only makes it a bit more supple and easier to roll.
large eggs → 6 egg yolks plus 1 whole egg. Gives a richer, more golden, more tender pasta similar to northern Italian tajarin.