Egg pasta dough isn't as difficult to make as you think it is. Homemade pasta is really something everyone can enjoy!
Egg pasta dough is very versatile and one of the most popular doughs to use when making homemade pasta. It's much easier than you think too. And you only need all-purpose flour and some eggs which you probably have already in your house. Did you think you could start making fresh pasta today? Well, you can!
There are two ways to make pasta dough...with or without egg. Semolina flour will give you a more elastic pasta dough. As a result, it's a bit stronger and firmer than dough with eggs. A general rule of thumb would be to use Semolina for any type of dragged pasta, like Orecchiette or Cencioni, other hand-made pastas like Cavatelli, Malloreddus, Lorighittas, or Capunti. On the other hand, you'd typically use egg pasta dough for filled pastas like Ravioli or Tortellini and longer stands such as Fettuccine or Tagliatelle. Farfalle is also a great one to do with egg pasta dough.
Get my homemade Cavatelli recipe here. And my homemade Farfalle recipe here.
How do you make egg pasta dough?
First, start with a clean surface (this can be a pastry or dough board or your countertop) and pour the all-purpose flour out. You can use 00 flour too if you'd like, but all-purpose will work just fine.
Next, put your hand in the middle of the flour, and using a circular motion, start making a "well". Gradually make it larger and larger, but make sure to keep the walls intact. It needs to be large enough to hold all the eggs though, so keep that in mind.
Now, let's start cracking the eggs right into the "well" we created with our hands. Once all your eggs are in, slowly start whisking them with a fork.
Then, slowly start to tap the flour from the sides of the well into the middle to combine with the egg. Do this SLOWLY...or you'll end up with egg all over your countertop or wooden board. Ask me how I know that? 🙂
Now, with your hands, start working everything together to form the dough.
Then, using your scraper, corral any of the remaining flour that hasn't stuck to the large dough. Just as before, make a small well in the center of the remaining flour and add a little warm water to the dough. Once it forms, add it to the large egg pasta dough.
Let's finish this egg pasta dough
Once all the flour has been 'picked up', start kneading the dough. We’ll knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it becomes homogeneous where it’s soft and you don’t feel the flour on the dough.
You should really do this on a large wooden board. The wood is porous, therefore it will help grab any excess moisture in the dough.
Once the dough is finished, roll it into a ball and cover it with a bowl or some plastic wrap. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before beginning to make your homemade pasta.
Buon appetito!
When should I use egg pasta dough versus semolina flour dough?
When I want to make dragged pastas (like Orecchiette) or hand-made stuff like Cavatelli, I'll make semolina pasta dough. On the other hand, Farfalle or filled pastas like Ravioli, egg pasta dough is a better option.
Tools I used in this recipe:
Recipe
Egg Pasta Dough
Ingredients
- 3⅓ cup All purpose flour or 00 fine flour (equivalent to 400 grams)
- 4 egg
- warm water as needed
Instructions
- Start with a clean surface (this can be a pastry or dough board or your countertop) and pour the all-purpose flour out.
- Next, put your hand in the middle of the flour, and using a circular motion, start making a "well". Gradually make it larger and larger, but make sure to keep the walls intact. It needs to be large enough to hold all the eggs though, so keep that in mind.
- Now, let's start cracking the eggs right into the "well" we created with our hands.
- Once all your eggs are in, slowly start whisking them with a fork.
- Once whisked, slowly start to tap the flour from the sides of the well into the middle to combine with the egg. Do this SLOWLY...or you'll end up with egg all over your countertop or wooden board.
- Now, with your hands, start working everything together to form the dough.
- Just as before, make a small well in the center of the remaining flour and add a little warm water to the dough. Once it forms, add it to the large egg pasta dough.
- Once the dough is finished, roll it into a ball and cover it with a bowl or some plastic wrap. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes before beginning to make your homemade pasta.
Kathie
I made this dough & used my sheet feeder that attaches to my KitchenAid. It really makes a beautifully dough but I need to get more experience in the pasta making world. I wanted to make pappardelle & I didn’t “hang” the separate pieces so when I cooked it, the shape was still coiled. Had to throw it away. I’m not looking at this as a failure seeing as I learned to make sure to unroll the dough while you’re processing the rest! Thanks for the recipe Tom!!
Tom DeVincenzo
Ahh...yes, hanging some pastas is certainly a 'must do'. I bought this rack off Amazon a few years ago and it's still going strong for me. It's collapsible and can hold a few pounds of pasta on it. I dry all my flat pastas and strings on it, even my lasagna sheets. Here is the link if you want to give it a try. Glad you're learning as you go...that's what's most important!
Kathie
Okay Tom, I made the egg pasta recipe and I am going to make up an Italian sausage and mushroom ragu (grew the tomatoes in my garden & also made homemade sausage. I’m gonna serve it with the egg pasta (pappardelle). I’ll let you know how it all turns out!!
Kathie
How you doin’?? I made this recipe but I used half semolina. I WANT cavatelli!! And there are NO stores locally that sell it! And I don’t want to go to Chicago! Seeing as I have a really bad back, I used my KitchenAid with the dough hook. I’ve never made homemade macaroni so I hope it comes out okay. I’m half Italian and the other Czechoslovakian. I’m making Hungarian chicken paprikash and it’s delicious with cavatelli!! I’ll let ya know how it goes!
Tom DeVincenzo
Hey Kathie...how you doin'?? Good idea with the KitchenAid...kneading dough can definitely be a workout lol especially if you have a bad back. How'd it turn out?
Kathie
I didn’t like the consistency of it, but I’m sure that was due in part to the cavatelli crank I used. I’m going to browse your website for another dough since I have a sheet maker. Think a pappardelle this go around!!
Tom DeVincenzo
Interesting...yeah, I've never used the cavatelli crank so I can't say one way or the other. I do know that consistency of the dough can change based on a number of factors inside and outside of the home...heat, humidity or your dough may be just having a bad day 😐
Marie
You have to try this, worth the effort