Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 400 g all-purpose flour
- 5 g fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- 4 eggs, room temperature
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
Dusting
- 30 g semolina flour
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 496 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbohydrates
- 82 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 558 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 186 mg
- Potassium
- 190 mg
- Calcium
- 43 mg
- Iron
- 2.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 32 mg
- Phosphorus
- 217 mg
- Zinc
- 1.4 mg
- Vitamin A
- 80 mcg
- Vitamin D
- 1.0 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.1 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.14 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.27 mg
- Niacin
- 1.3 mg
- Folate
- 50 mcg
- Water
- 50 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine the flour and salt on a clean work surface. Use your hands or a bowl to create a deep, wide well in the center of the flour mound.
Crack the eggs into the well and pour in the extra virgin olive oil. Using a fork, gently beat the wet ingredients together until smooth, being careful not to break the flour wall.
Gradually pull small amounts of flour from the inner walls of the well into the egg mixture. Keep whisking until a thick paste forms, then use a bench scraper or your hands to fold in the remaining flour until a shaggy dough comes together.
Knead the dough vigorously for 8 to 10 minutes. Push the dough away with the heel of your hand, fold it over itself, give it a quarter turn, and repeat. Continue until the dough is smooth, elastic, and springs back gently when pressed.
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature around 20°C/68°F for at least 30 minutes. This hydrates the flour fully and relaxes the gluten network for easier rolling.
Cut the rested dough into four equal pieces, keeping the unused pieces wrapped. Flatten one piece slightly, then pass it through a pasta machine on its widest setting. Fold the sheet into thirds like a letter, press flat, and pass it through the widest setting twice more. Continue rolling through progressively thinner settings until you reach your desired thickness.
Dust the rolled pasta sheet generously with semolina flour. Cut it into your desired shape using a knife for rustic ribbons like pappardelle, or a pasta machine attachment for linguine or spaghetti.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil at 100°C/212°F. Drop the fresh pasta into the water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring gently to prevent clumping. Remove the cooked pasta using a slotted spoon and transfer immediately to your sauce.
Chef's Notes
- Flour selection defines your pasta. Standard all-purpose flour has medium protein, yielding a pleasant chew. Italian 00 flour is milled exceptionally fine, resulting in a supremely delicate and silky texture.
- Hydration is not an exact science. Environmental humidity and flour age dictate how much liquid you need. Always trust your hands over the exact measurements; the dough should feel like soft modeling clay.
- Salt in the dough is minimal because the cooking water is responsible for seasoning the pasta. Ensure your boiling water tastes like the sea before dropping the noodles in.
- Never skip the resting phase. The 30 minutes allows the flour particles to absorb the egg moisture uniformly, changing the dough from a stiff, unyielding ball into a supple, workable mass.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to prevent the surface from drying out and forming a hard skin.
Freezer: 1 month — Shape into nests, freeze individually on a baking sheet, then transfer to an airtight container.
Reheating: Cook directly from frozen; do not thaw. Add 1 to 2 extra minutes to boiling time.
Troubleshooting
Dough is dry, crumbly, and refuses to form a cohesive ball
Cause: Eggs were too small, flour had a very high protein content, or ambient humidity is very low
Fix: Wet your hands with cold water and continue kneading, or add water 5ml at a time until the dough comes together
Prevention: Weigh eggs out of the shell to ensure the correct hydration ratio of roughly 1 part liquid to 2 parts flour
Dough tears with jagged edges when passing through the pasta machine
Cause: Dough was not kneaded enough to develop gluten, or not rested long enough to relax
Fix: Fold the dough over itself, cover tightly, and allow it to rest for another 30 minutes before trying again
Prevention: Knead for a full 10 minutes and always rest for at least 30 minutes before rolling
Cultural Context
Fresh egg pasta, known as pasta fresca all'uovo, is the cornerstone of Northern Italian cuisine, particularly in the Emilia-Romagna region. Historically, the abundance of rich eggs in the north contrasted with the south's reliance on dried semolina and water pasta. Making fresh pasta by hand remains a celebrated Sunday ritual across Italy, traditionally shaped using a long wooden rolling pin called a mattarello.
