:INFO One ratio, six steps, better pasta than dried The Italian rule for egg pasta is simple enough to write on a flour bag: 100 g of flour to 1 large egg per person. That ratio is all you need to make tagliatelle, fettuccine or pappardelle at home without any specialist equipment. What takes most beginners by surprise is not the mixing but the resting. The dough needs 30 to 60 minutes to relax before rolling, and that wait is the only reason hand-rolled pasta ever tears. Skip it and the gluten fights the rolling pin. Give it the time and the dough stretches without snapping. This tutorial covers the three flour types, the six steps from bowl to plate, and a rolling and cutting chart for the three most useful shapes. :IMAGE :STATS [icon:CLOCK] Total active time | Around 45 to 60 minutes [icon:CLOCK] Rest time | 30 to 60 minutes (hands-off) [icon:TARGET] Difficulty | Beginner, no machine required [icon:STAR] Yield from this recipe | 2 portions (scale by 1 egg per person) [icon:CHECK] Equipment | Bowl, fork, rolling pin, sharp knife, scales :INFO Choose your flour: 00 flour and all-purpose The flour determines the texture of the finished pasta. Tipo 00 (doppio zero) is the best choice for egg pasta. It is milled to an ultra-fine powder with a protein content of roughly 10 to 12 percent. The fine particles hydrate instantly when mixed with egg, producing a silky, pliable dough that rolls thin without tearing. Italian flour bags specify Tipo 00 because it is the standard for egg-based pasta in Italy. All-purpose flour is a workable substitute. Its protein content ranges from 8 to 12 percent and its grind is coarser, which makes the dough slightly firmer and less elastic. Use it if 00 is unavailable. The pasta will taste good; it just needs a little more kneading to become smooth. :INFO Choose your flour: semolina Semolina (fine semolina flour, not coarse semolina) is milled from durum wheat and has 13 to 14 percent protein. It produces a firmer, chewier pasta with a nutty flavour and a golden colour. Many recipes blend it with 00 flour in a 1:1 ratio for the best of both textures. Semolina on its own is better suited to water-based and hand-shaped pastas such as orecchiette. The comparison table below shows the key numbers at a glance. :STATS [icon:STAR] Tipo 00 flour | Silky, pliable, best for rolled egg pasta [icon:STAR] All-purpose flour | Slightly firmer, good beginner substitute [icon:STAR] Semolina | Firm, chewy, nutty. Blend 50/50 with 00 for bite [icon:CHART] Protein content | 00: 10-12%. AP: 8-12%. Semolina: 13-14% [icon:TARGET] Best for this tutorial | Tipo 00, or all-purpose if not available :INFO Step 1. Make the dough Weigh out 200 g of flour (for 2 portions) and tip it onto a clean work surface or into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre large enough to hold 2 eggs. Crack both eggs into the well. Add a small pinch of fine salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs gently while pulling flour in from the inner edge of the well, a little at a time. Keep drawing in flour until the mixture is too thick to work with a fork, then switch to your hands. The dough will feel rough and shaggy at first. That is correct. Flour protein and egg protein have not yet formed gluten, so the texture is uneven. Press and fold the dough until all the flour is incorporated and no dry patches remain. If the dough is too dry and crumbles, add water one teaspoon at a time. If it is sticky, dust with a small amount of flour. Do not add more than a tablespoon total of either, or the ratio shifts. :INFO Step 2. Knead for 10 minutes Knead the dough by pushing it away from you with the heel of your hand, folding it back on itself, rotating a quarter turn, and repeating. Set a timer for 10 minutes and keep going. The dough is ready when it is smooth to touch, springs back slightly when you press a finger in, and has no cracks on the surface. An under-kneaded dough tears when rolled, so do not skip time here. At the 10-minute mark, the difference is visible: a rough ball becomes a tight, satiny dome. If using all-purpose flour, knead for 12 minutes. Its coarser grind needs slightly longer to build the same gluten network. :INFO Step 3. Rest the dough (this step cannot be rushed) Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or place it in a lightly oiled bowl covered with a damp cloth. Rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. One hour is better. Kneading builds gluten strands, which are tight and elastic immediately after working. Resting allows the strands to relax. A rested dough rolls to 1 mm without springing back or tearing. A dough rolled straight after kneading resists the rolling pin at every pass and tends to tear at the edges. Do not refrigerate it at this stage. Cold slows the relaxation, so the dough behaves as though it has not rested at all. :INFO Step 4. Roll it thin by hand Divide the rested dough into two pieces. Work one piece at a time and keep the other wrapped. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to push the dough away from the centre, rotating it a quarter turn after every few passes. Work progressively: do not try to reach the final thickness in one go. Flatten, rotate, flatten, rotate. As the sheet grows larger, pick it up and re-flour the surface beneath to prevent sticking. The target thickness depends on the shape. For tagliatelle and fettuccine, roll to about 1 mm, thin enough that you can dimly see your hand through the sheet when held up to light. For pappardelle, 1.5 mm works and is easier to handle. :INFO Step 4 continued. Using a pasta machine Start at the widest setting and fold the sheet in thirds, feeding it through twice more at the same setting. This lamination step builds straight edges and a uniform thickness before thinning begins. Reduce one notch per pass from here, feeding the sheet through once at each setting. Do not fold again. Stop two settings before the thinnest for pappardelle, one setting before the thinnest for tagliatelle and fettuccine. On most hand-crank machines (numbered 1 through 9), settings 6 to 7 give 1 mm; settings 4 to 5 give 1.5 mm. :STATS [icon:TARGET] Pappardelle thickness | 1.5 mm. Cut into 2 cm (3/4 inch) ribbons [icon:TARGET] Tagliatelle thickness | 1 mm. Cut into 7 to 8 mm strips [icon:TARGET] Fettuccine thickness | 1 mm. Cut into 4 to 5 mm strips [icon:CLOCK] Pappardelle cook time | 3 to 4 minutes in boiling water [icon:CLOCK] Tagliatelle cook time | 2 to 3 minutes in boiling water [icon:CLOCK] Fettuccine cook time | 2 to 3 minutes in boiling water [icon:CHART] Thickness test | You can dimly see your hand through a 1 mm sheet :INFO Step 5. Cut the shapes Once the sheet is rolled to thickness, dust the top surface lightly with flour or fine semolina. Loosely roll the sheet into a flat cylinder, like rolling a poster. Do not roll it too tight or the inner layers stick together. Using a sharp chef's knife, cut straight across the cylinder at regular intervals. The width of each cut determines the shape. For tagliatelle, cut at 7 to 8 mm. For fettuccine, cut at 4 to 5 mm. For pappardelle, cut at 2 cm. After cutting, immediately shake out the coils. Lift with both hands and loosen them so the strips fall free. Toss lightly with a little flour or semolina to prevent them sticking together, then rest them in a loose nest on a floured surface or hang them over a clean broom handle for up to 30 minutes before cooking. Pappardelle is the most forgiving shape: it is wide enough that small irregularities in cut width do not matter, and it pairs well with robust sauces (lamb ragu, porcini, wild boar) that benefit from the extra surface. :INFO Step 6. Cook and serve immediately Bring a large pot of water to a full rolling boil. Add salt generously: the water should taste noticeably salty. The Italian rule of thumb is 10 g of salt per litre of water and at least 1 litre per 100 g of pasta. Add the pasta and stir immediately to separate the strands. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes depending on thickness (see the chart above). Taste at the earliest time: fresh pasta should be tender throughout with no raw, starchy centre. Unlike dried pasta, it does not have an al dente window, it is simply cooked or over-cooked, so taste early and drain as soon as it is done. Drain well and add directly to the pan with your sauce. Finish with a ladle of pasta cooking water to bind the sauce and serve immediately. Fresh pasta does not hold on the plate like dried pasta does; serve it within a minute of draining. :NOTE Fresh pasta keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days, dusted with semolina and loosely covered. For longer storage, freeze individual nests on a tray, then transfer to a bag once solid. Cook from frozen without thawing, adding 1 minute to the cook time. :LINK https://fond.kitchen/guides/homemade-pasta-guide/ Fond Kitchen: complete fresh pasta guide covering flour types, ratios, rolling, shapes and cooking times :LINK https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-fresh-pasta-from-scratch-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-73435 The Kitchn: step-by-step fresh pasta tutorial with food processor method and resting advice