Can I Make Pasta with Plain Flour?

Italy, thanks to its geographic position, has for many millenia been an important crossroads; a converging point of different cuisines and cultures. Today, il bel paese continues to fascinate and inspire; with British households consuming an average of 96g of pasta per week, the UK’s love affair with Italian food is far from understated.

Luckily, making pasta from scratch is both satisfying and simple. While Italians prefer to use tipo 00 flour when making the dough, any home cook can just as easily rustle up a fresh batch with the help of their pantry and a bit of plain white flour. 

Serves 2

Prep Time: 60 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Calories per serving: 468 kcal

Utensils

• Fork
• Pasta machine or rolling pin

Ingredients

• 200g plain white flour (plus more for your work surface)
• 2 large eggs

Chef’s Tip: The perfect ratio of eggs to flour is 1 egg for every 100 grams (this amount serves 1-2 people).

Should you need any guidance on how to make your pasta dough, follow along with Chef Roberta as she takes you through the process, step by step. *Note that Chef Roberta uses ‘00’ flour, but this can be substituted with plain white flour, as used in this recipe.

Method

Make the dough

1. Place your plain flour onto a clean work surface. Using your hands, make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it. Beat the eggs with a fork until smooth.
2. Using your fork, begin to incorporate the eggs with the flour until everything is roughly combined.
3. Start to knead the dough together with your hands. It will look a little scrappy at the start but don’t let this put you off; your dough should come together into a nice, smooth ball after about 5 minutes of kneading. Once the ball feels silky smooth, lightly push your finger into it. If the dough springs back, this means that the gluten has fully developed and it is ready to rest.
4. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. After the dough has rested, it is ready to be rolled with either a pasta machine or rolling pin.

Roll out the dough

Before you start: Freshly made pasta dries very quickly, so it’s important to cut or shape it as soon as possible after rolling. As you will have to roll the dough out in batches, ensure to cover it as you go along with a clean, damp tea towel. This will prevent any dryness from taking hold.

Using a pasta machine

1. Dust your work surface with a sprinkling of plain white flour. Cut off a small section of the pasta dough and loosely form it into a ball. (Ensure to cover the rest of the dough with cling film, lest it will dry out.)
2. Set the pasta machine to the widest setting and roll the ball of pasta dough through it. Click the machine down a setting and continue to roll the pasta through until it is translucent (around setting 6 or 7). 

Using a rolling pin

1. Rolling by hand follows much the same process as the machine, albeit with a little more elbow grease, or olio di gomito, as the Italians would say. Cut off a small section of the pasta dough and loosely form it into a ball.
2. Lightly flour your rolling pin and begin rolling the dough as you would with a pastry crust, starting in the centre and rolling away from you to the outer edge.
3. Turn the dough slightly and repeat, working your way around, until the sheet of dough is about the thickness of a 2p coin. 

Choosing the right shape for your pasta

Now that you’ve rolled out your dough, why not try your hand at making a new pasta shape? Thick strands of fresh pappardelle are extraordinary simple to hand cut and will make for a delightfully hearty dinner; look no further than our indulgently creamy mushroom pappardelle. Tagliatelle are also a great alternative and pair beautifully with seafood and lighter sauces such our pesto alla Genovese, a Ligurian specialty. If you’re feeling particularly inspired, why not add the ability to make handmade ravioli to your home cooking repertoire? Never a bad idea.