Fresh Pasta Dough

The recipe for this fresh, golden-hued pasta dough includes three methods for making it: by hand, with a food processor, or using a stand mixer.

Fresh Pasta Dough
Photo: Photo by Andrew Bui / Food Styling by Caitlin Haught Brown
Active Time:
15 mins
Rest Time:
30 mins
Servings:
6 to 8
Yield:
1 1/4 pounds

This dough uses a combination of whole eggs and egg yolks. The yolks add fat, which helps create a smooth dough with a lovely yellow hue. The whites in the whole eggs add both moisture and protein for a stronger, more elastic dough. Because different seasons and climates affect the moisture levels of the flour used in the dough, you may need a touch more or less water. If you live in a hot humid place, the dough will stay more moist and may need a little less water. But if you live in the desert (or it's winter and the heater is cranking), the dough will be drier, requiring more water. Keep this in mind as you make the dough, adding more water or flour as needed to reach the right consistency. (And you'll likely need a pasta drying rack to make this process a lot easier.)

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Ingredients

  • 10 large eggs

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour (321 grams), 00 flour (356 grams), or semola rimacinata flour (fine ground semolina, do not use regular semolina flour; 404 grams), plus more as needed

Directions

By hand (requires 10 extra minutes of active time)

  1. Place 2 whole eggs, 8 egg yolks, and oil in a medium bowl; whisk to blend. Reserve egg whites for another use (egg whites can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 year).

  2. Place flour on a clean work surface, forming a mound. Using your hands or a spoon, make a 5-inch-wide well in the center. Pour egg mixture into well. Using your fingers or a fork, gradually begin to mix egg mixture into flour, working from the center out, until a thick paste forms. Using your hands, press in remaining flour until a shaggy dough forms. Roll and knead dough with your hand and forearm until dough is smooth and elastic and all flour has been incorporated, about 10 minutes. Dough should have consistency of modeling clay. If it is too sticky, sprinkle with additional flour, 1 teaspoon at a time; if it is dry and cracking, sprinkle with water, a few droplets at a time.

  3. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours before rolling and shaping.

With stand mixer

  1. Place 2 whole eggs, 8 egg yolks, and oil in a medium bowl; whisk to blend. Reserve egg whites for another use (egg whites can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 year).

  2. Place flour in bowl of stand mixer, attach to mixer, and fit with dough hook. With machine running on low speed, slowly add egg mixture. Mix until mostly incorporated (there will be some loose flour in bottom of mixing bowl), 30 to 40 seconds. Continue beating on low until dough is smooth and flour has been incorporated, 2 to 4 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape dough off hook and press into loose flour in bottom of bowl. Transfer dough to a clean work surface and knead by hand until elastic, 3 to 5 minutes. Dough should have consistency of modeling clay. If it is too sticky, sprinkle with additional flour, 1 teaspoon at a time; if it is dry and cracking, sprinkle with water, a few droplets at a time.

  3. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours before rolling and shaping.

With food processor

  1. Place 2 whole eggs, 8 egg yolks, and oil in a medium bowl; whisk to blend. Reserve egg whites for another use (egg whites can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 year).

  2. Place flour in a food processor. With processor running, pour egg mixture slowly through food chute until dough comes together in clumps, 25 to 35 seconds.

  3. Transfer mixture to a clean work surface and knead by hand until dough is smooth and elastic and all flour has been incorporated into dough, 8 to 10 minutes. Dough should have consistency of modeling clay. If it is too sticky, sprinkle with additional flour, 1 teaspoon at a time; if it is dry and cracking, sprinkle with water, a few droplets at a time.

  4. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours before rolling and shaping.

Make Ahead

Regardless of mixing method, pasta dough may be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in refrigerator up to 2 days; let come to room temperature before rolling and shaping.

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