Basic Egg Pasta Dough

Notes

Fresh pasta is best if eaten the same day it is made. However it will keep for a day or two in the refrigerator. Once shaped, it can be frozen for up to one month.

This makes approximately 3/4 lb of pasta, which will serve 2 to 3 people as a main or 3 to 4 as an appetizer.

• 1 cup all-purpose (or double zero)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

To make the dough by hand:

Make a well on the counter with the flour. Then add the eggs and salt. Slowly incorporate the eggs until the mixture forms a ball.

Then bring together the dough together and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. Add additional flour as needed.

To make the dough in a food processor:

Add the flour and salt and pulse. Beat the eggs separately and then slowly add in the eggs, one teaspoon at a time. Once the mixture just starts to look like couscous, stop and remove from food processor.

Form into a ball and knead for 5 to 10 minutes on the counter top.

Once the dough is fully kneaded, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for about 30 minutes before rolling.

To roll the dough, flatten it slightly and roll through the widest setting about 10 times, folding the dough in half each time you pass it through. Sprinkle the rollers and dough lightly with flour if it happens to stick.

Next, run the dough through the rollers just once on each setting without folding. Keep rolling the dough until you reach the second to last setting. How far you roll out the dough will also depend on the dish you are making, and your pasta machine. If you desire ultra-thin pasta, you may want to roll the dough right through to the last setting. Once the dough has been rolled to the desired thickness, it must be covered immediately to prevent it from drying out.

If desired, you can run the pasta through the cutters of the pasta machine to make various shapes, such as linguini or fettuccini.