Making pasta from scratch can feel intimidating, but it’s really just about understanding a few simple principles. I’ve answered the most common questions I get about flours, dough ratios, storage, and equipment. Everything you need to feel confident making perfect pasta at home. Please feel free to get in touch any time to ask me anything.
Start with a flour and water dough, no eggs needed and easier to handle as you don't need a pasta roller. Try hand-rolled shapes like pici or gnocchi sardi, which require little to no special equipment. Once you’re confident, move on to egg-based pasta for filled pasta shapes or simple pappardelle.
Use “00” flour for fresh egg pasta, the "00" just means it’s finely milled and it helps to create a smooth, elastic dough. If you can’t find it, plain flour works too and you won't be able to tell the difference. For hand-rolled shapes, use semola rimacinata, a fine durum wheat semolina that adds structure and bite.
“00” flour gives softness and elasticity, while semolina adds firmness and texture. Combining them gives balance and adds an al dente bite you don't always get with a fresh pasta. For my homemade pasta dough, start with 350 grams 00 flour + 50 grams semolina and adjust depending on the pasta shape and your preferred bite.
It sounds complicated when I mention hydration but simply it is the ratio of liquid to flour. For egg pasta, I use about 57% hydration (e.g., 400 grams flour ? 228 grams egg weight). For flour-and-water doughs, I mostly aim for 50% hydration (400 grams flour ? 200 grams water). This ensures consistent, workable dough.
You can start so simple! For some of my hand rolled shapes all you need are scales, a wooden cutting board and a knife. A gnocchi board is a great and inexpensive tool to have for pasta making and when you want to dive into egg pasta dough then a pasta roller is key. You can also get a great roller attachment for your Kitchen Aid if you have one.
You'll learn quickly in my recipes that freezing is my preferred method, it preserved the texture perfectly. For most pasta shapes I freeze them open on a tray until hard (about 20 - 30 minutes) then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Cook from frozen! For filled shapes I have a fantastic and detailed guide on how to store ravioli.
Fresh pasta cooks quickly, most shapes will cook in 2 - 3 minutes. Filled shapes will be longer to ensure the filling is cooked. In all my recipes I give guidance on this.
