Fresh egg pasta needs only flour, eggs, a work surface and patience.
Key idea
The ratio: about 100 grams of flour per large egg (an egg is about 50 grams without its shell). Make a well of flour, crack the eggs in, beat them with a fork while drawing in flour, then knead about 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Rest it, wrapped, 30 minutes. Roll thin (by pin or machine), cut, and cook 1 to 3 minutes in plenty of salted boiling water.
- Use "00" flour, all-purpose, or a mix with semolina.
- Dough too sticky: add flour a spoon at a time. Too dry: wet your hands and knead.
- Roll through a machine from the widest setting down, folding and rerolling at the start for strength.
- Dust cut pasta with semolina so strands don't stick.
Why it works
Resting lets the flour finish absorbing the egg and lets the gluten relax, so the dough rolls thin without springing back.
Worked example: Scale it
How much flour for pasta for 6 people, at 1 egg per person and 100 g flour per egg?
- $6 \times 100 = 600$ g.
Answer: 600 g of flour and 6 eggs.
Common mistake
Rolling before resting. The dough fights back and tears.
Practice at home
- Make a 2-egg batch of pasta by hand. Cut half into fettuccine and half into pappardelle. Cook one strand to time it before cooking the rest.
In Meal Prep
- Fresh egg pasta: the full recipe, scaled to your household
- Egg noodles: a sturdier dough for soup