Make Basic fresh pasta recipe

One of life’s mysteries solved! Following a simple recipe of flour and eggs, authentic pasta can be made thick or thin, coloured or flavoured. All you have to do is find a style to call your own.

Serves 6

22/3 cups (400g) Italian ‘00’ flour or high-grade flour, plus extra, for dusting
4 (59g each) eggs, at room temperature
Fine semolina, for dusting

1. Place flour in a mound on a work surface. Make a large well in the centre, then break eggs into it. Using a fork, gently beat eggs, while, with your other hand, secure the walls of the well. Continue stirring with the fork, drawing in flour until mixture is very thick, then, using your hands, work in remaining flour. 
2. Once flour is incorporated, knead the dough (it should be firm and not sticky) for 5 minutes or until smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
3. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Flatten 1 piece with your hand until 3mm thick. Dust lightly with flour. For machine-rolled pasta (for hand-rolled method, see tip, right), set your pasta machine to its widest setting, then feed the dough through 4-5 times, folding it in half each time and turning it 90 degrees until it is smooth and the width of the machine. Repeat feeding the dough through, without folding, narrowing the settings on your machine, 1 notch at a time (the highest number being the thinnest setting), until you reach the second last setting, then place pasta sheet on a semolina-dusted work surface. Repeat with remaining dough. For ravioli, once you have rolled out 2 pasta sheets, fill immediately, so dough remains pliable. 
4. For machine-cut pasta, drape pasta lengths over a clean broom handle, railing or opened cupboard door for 10 minutes or until slightly dry. Feed dough lengths, 1 at a time, through cutting attachment on your pasta machine, then scatter lightly with semolina and place on a tray.
5. Bring a large (5-6 litres) saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add pasta, stir once and cook until al dente*, then drain. Serve immediately with favourite sauce.

* Fresh pasta takes from 20 seconds to 2 minutes to cook, depending on thickness.

Flour for pasta
In Italy, flour is graded 1, 0 and 00. Doppio zero (00) flour, available here from delicatessens, is the most refined, with a relatively high protein content (9.5 per cent). Or try Tip Top branded High Grade Flour (11 per cent protein) from supermarkets. Recipes were tested using both flours.

 

Recipes: Sophia Young   Photography: Andrew Lehmann   Styling: Amber Keller   Food preparation: Lisa Featherby.