Homemade noodles, step by step
Interactive lesson: egg pasta dough — ratio, kneading, rolling, noodles, pasta squares and trahana, safe drying and storage.
Free sample Chapters 1 and 2 (8 steps) are free. The full lesson comes with the Homemade pasta and noodles module. Already bought? Unlock
This lesson is general guidance, not professional training. Local regulations and expert advice always take precedence. Read our disclaimer.
The whole lesson as text
1. Flour and eggs
Pasta has only two or three ingredients, so each one matters.
- 100 g per egg — The basic ratio is 100 g of flour per egg. A kilogram of flour (2.2 lb) takes 10 eggs.
- Weigh the eggs — An egg from a young hen weighs 45 g, from an old hen 70 g. Per 100 g of flour, use roughly 50 g of egg without the shell.
- Which flour — Plain flour (UK), all-purpose (US) or Italian “00” gives a soft, elastic dough. Mix durum wheat semolina half and half with plain flour.
- Fresh, clean eggs — Slightly cracked or less pretty eggs are fine as long as they are fresh and clean. Never dirty eggs or eggs of unknown age.
Why: Homemade pasta is the best way to turn the spring glut of eggs into a store that keeps for months without a fridge. Eggs are not all the same, so it is safer to weigh them.
- A duck egg (about 75 g) replaces 1.4 hen's eggs and gives especially yellow, firm pasta.
- Flour must be dry and must not smell of mould.
2. Kneading and resting
Knead the dough until it is smooth, then let it rest covered.
- A well in the flour — Flour on the board, with a well in the middle. Eggs and a pinch of salt go into the well.
- Fork in from the edges — With a fork, draw flour from the edges into the eggs, a little at a time, until it thickens.
- Knead 8–10 minutes — Knead with the heel of your hand until the dough is smooth, silky and as firm as modelling clay. A dent from your finger slowly springs back.
- Rest 30 minutes — Cover the dough with a bowl or film. If it keeps springing back afterwards, give it another 15 minutes.
Why: In 30 minutes of rest the gluten relaxes and the flour absorbs the moisture fully. The dough then rolls easily without shrinking back.
- Sticky dough needs a spoonful of flour, crumbly dough a spoonful of water. Add gradually.
- Don't taste raw dough: raw flour and raw eggs can both carry bacteria. After working, wash your hands, the board and the bowls.
3. Rolling · Locked
Buy the Homemade pasta and noodles module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.
4. Cutting and shapes · Locked
Buy the Homemade pasta and noodles module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.
5. Drying without risk · Locked
Buy the Homemade pasta and noodles module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.
6. Storing and cooking · Locked
Buy the Homemade pasta and noodles module and you get the PDF to download and print, plus lifetime access to this interactive lesson: all 6 chapters, 24 steps.